The Veteran's claim for service connection for degenerative joint disease (DJD) of the lumbar spine, which is secondary to his service-connected bilateral knee DJD, has been remanded due to inadequate rationale in the February 2012 VA examination opinion.
The deciding factor: The examiner failed to provide a rationale for her opinion that the Veteran's low back disability has not been aggravated by his service-connected bilateral knee disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative Joint Disease (DJD) of the lumbar spine
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 3, 2014
- Citation
- 1404733
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 1404733.
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.
- Partly granted
The Board denied increased ratings for the Veteran's degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine, right and left lower extremity radiculopathy, and depressive disorder. However, it granted a total disability rating based on unemployability (TDIU) and special monthly compensation at the housebound rate.
- Denied
The Board denied a disability rating in excess of 20 percent for DJD of the lumbar spine from February 25, 2016 to September 15, 2023 and denied a rating in excess of 40 percent from September 16, 2023.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for a spine disability and lower extremity radiculopathy as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected knee disabilities. The Veteran was also granted an increased rating of 30 percent for his scars.
- Denied
The Veteran's initial evaluations for DJD of the lumbar spine and radiculopathy of both lower extremities have been denied as they do not meet the criteria for higher ratings under VA rating criteria.
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