The Board has determined that additional development is needed to address the merits of the veteran's claim for service connection for arthritis of the lumbosacral spine, including as secondary to his service-connected left knee injury. The case is being remanded for a VA examination and opinion from an orthopedic physician.
The deciding factor: The Board found that there was insufficient evidence regarding whether the veteran's current low back disability was caused or aggravated by his service-connected residuals of a left knee injury, including postoperative total knee arthroplasty.
- Claimed conditions
- arthritis of the lumbosacral spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 3, 2006
- Citation
- 0634177
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 0634177.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The appeal was remanded to correct errors made by the AOJ in complying with an earlier Board remand, specifically to obtain outstanding private treatment records.
- Partly granted
The Board denied an initial disability rating in excess of 20 percent for arthritis of the lumbosacral spine, granted a 10 percent rating for painful limitation of motion of the left and right knees prior to July 6, 2016, denied ratings greater than 10 percent for arthritis of the left and right knees with painful motion for the entire appeal period, granted separate 10 percent ratings for instability of the left and right knees beginning on September 13, 2010, granted a 30 percent rating for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) prior to July 6, 2016, and denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for increased disability evaluations for osteoarthritis of the right knee with medial meniscal tear, instability of the left knee, and arthritis of the lumbosacral spine are being remanded due to inadequate pre-decisional duty to assist.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection and disability ratings need further examination to determine if there is a relationship between his current conditions and his military service.
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