The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to incomplete medical records and unclear responses from the VA examiner regarding whether the veteran's degenerative joint disease of the cervical and lumbar spine was acquired during or aggravated by his active service.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner did not provide a clear opinion on whether the veteran's degenerative joint disease of the cervical and lumbar spine was acquired during or aggravated by his active service, specifically his service from December 1990 to April 1992.
- Claimed conditions
- degenerative joint disease of the cervical spine, degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 24, 2004
- Citation
- 0407725
This is a plain-language summary generated by AI from a public Board of Veterans’ Appeals decision. It can contain errors — always verify against the original. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 0407725.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine, finding that the evidence did not support a causal relationship between the Veteran's current disability and his active military service.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for hypertension, an increased rating for a stroke and stroke residuals, and an increased rating for degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps on a presumptive basis due to presumed exposure to fine particulate matter during active service in Southwest Asia. The claims for sleep apnea syndrome and degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine were remanded for further development.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an initial rating of 40 percent for degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine from February 20, 2013 to January 22, 2020, exclusive of a convalescence period. The other claims were denied.
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