The veteran's appeal involves issues related to increased ratings for ankylosing spondylitis of the lumbar spine and left hip, as well as a request for an effective date prior to August 5, 2002, for the grant of TDIU. The case is being remanded due to procedural errors.
The deciding factor: Procedural issues have been identified that require further action before a decision can be made on the veteran's claims.
- Claimed conditions
- ankylosing spondylitis of the lumbar spine, ankylosing spondylitis of the left hip
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 6, 2005
- Citation
- 0518347
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 0518347.
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.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's ankylosing spondylitis of the lumbar spine is related to service and grants service connection for this condition.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for ankylosing spondylitis of the cervical spine and lumbar spine, finding that it is at least as likely as not related to environmental factors during active military service. Service connection was also granted for a bilateral hip condition, but this issue is remanded due to insufficient medical opinion regarding its relationship to service-connected conditions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran is seeking to have the effective dates for his service-connected conditions and TDIU revised due to a claimed error in the original rating decisions. The Board has determined that these claims should be remanded for further action.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for ankylosing spondylitis of the cervical spine, lumbar spine, and bilateral hip condition due to in-service infections or exposure to herbicide agents. The AOJ must obtain a new medical opinion addressing the etiology of these conditions.
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