The Board has remanded the case due to a failure to consider relevant medical records and the Veteran's statements regarding his back pain prior to 2002. Additional VA and private treatment records are needed, as well as an examination of the Veteran's low back.
The deciding factor: The decision was based on insufficient evidence considering the Veteran's history of back complaints before 2002 and relevant medical records not reviewed by the VA clinician who provided a December 2007 opinion.
- Claimed conditions
- 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
- August 20, 2010
- Citation
- 1031524
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 1031524.
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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