The Board has ordered additional development due to the need for clarification of the VA examiner's opinions regarding the Veteran's low back disability and its relationship to service. The case will be returned to the agency of original jurisdiction for further consideration.
The deciding factor: Clarification is necessary as the VA examiner did not adequately address the Veteran's lay statements about his in-service activities that may have contributed to his current back disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- degenerative arthritis of the thoracic and lumbar spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 10, 2017
- Citation
- 1704253
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 1704253.
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 denied a rating in excess of 10 percent for hypertension and remanded the claim for an evaluation in excess of 20 percent for degenerative arthritis of the thoracic and lumbar spine.
- Dismissed
The Board has dismissed the Veteran's appeals for service connection and rating issues due to his withdrawal of those claims. The TDIU claim was also dismissed as there is no evidence that an earlier effective date can be assigned.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's increased rating claims for her right shoulder tendonitis, degenerative arthritis of the thoracolumbar spine, and bilateral knee disabilities are being remanded due to lack of a VA examination addressing current functional loss. The effective date claims are also being remanded as they have not been considered by the AOJ.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected thoracic and lumbar spine disability most likely contributed to his loss of use of his feet, which meets the criteria for automobile and adaptive equipment or adaptive equipment only.
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