The Veteran's appeal is being returned to the Board for further development and consideration due to a need for additional examination and opinion regarding his lumbar spine disability, which he contends is secondary to his service-connected bilateral pes planus.
The deciding factor: A VA examination was conducted in March 2013 but did not adequately address whether the Veteran's lumbar spine disability is aggravated by his service-connected bilateral pes planus disability. The Board finds this opinion inadequate for adjudication purposes and requires a new one to provide an adequate opinion on this issue.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative joint and disc disease 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
- August 5, 2015
- Citation
- 1533305
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 1533305.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the appeal for further development, including verification of periods of service and obtaining additional medical opinions.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not prevent him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation during the period from August 30, 2016 to October 6, 2021.
- Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's claims for clothing allowances for a back brace in the years of 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2018 due to wear on his clothing caused by his service-connected lumbar spine disability.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the claim for a rating in excess of 10 percent for degenerative joint and disc disease of the lumbar spine due to insufficient information regarding functional impairment during flare-ups or after repeated use. The Veteran should be scheduled for an updated examination.
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