The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including a VA examination to assess the severity of his thoracic and lumbar spine disability. The issue of increased rating for cervical spine disability will also be addressed in a supplemental statement of the case.
The deciding factor: The Veteran testified about worsening back pain and related symptoms during a videoconference hearing, necessitating further evaluation and development of his claims.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative disc disease (DDD) of the thoracic and lumbar spine with degenerative joint disease (DJD) of the lumbar spine, Anxiety disorder, not otherwise specified
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 6, 2014
- Citation
- 1425759
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 1425759.
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 Veteran's motion for revision of the June 25, 2015 rating decision was denied as there was no clear and unmistakable error in assigning an effective date of April 20, 2015 for service connection of major depressive disorder with anxiety disorder. The earliest effective date is the date his claim to reopen was received.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for PTSD, anxiety disorder, not otherwise specified, and sleep disturbance due to the lack of evidence showing a current disability and an in-service event or injury.
- Granted
The Veteran's disability rating for anxiety disorder, not otherwise specified, has been restored from zero percent to 30 percent effective December 1, 2020.
- Granted
The Board has denied a rating in excess of 30 percent for the Veteran's anxiety disorder, not otherwise specified. The case is remanded to determine whether service connection for sleep apnea secondary to his service-connected anxiety disorder should be granted.
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