The Board has remanded two issues: entitlement to a disability rating in excess of 20 percent prior to March 23, 2009 for degenerative arthritis of the lumbosacral spine and entitlement to an extraschedular disability rating for the same condition. The Veteran is asked to provide lay statements from individuals who have observed his symptoms during flare-ups and without medication. A retrospective medical opinion is needed to assess the severity of his condition prior to March 23, 2009.
The deciding factor: The Court instructed the Board to consider whether there are additional range of motion losses or other functional impairments due to flare-ups or without use of medication.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative arthritis of the lumbosacral spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- Not specified
- Citation
- 18100116
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 18100116.
What this means for you
A remand sends an issue back for more development, often a new examination or missing records. It does not award the benefit or decide the final outcome. The original decision explains the additional work ordered.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
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- Partly granted
The Board granted an initial rating of 40 percent for degenerative arthritis of the lumbosacral spine, but denied higher ratings for left and right lower extremity radiculopathy.
- Dismissed
The veteran withdrew his appeal for service connection for degenerative disc disease and degenerative arthritis of the lumbosacral spine as secondary to achilles tendinopathy of the left foot.
- Dismissed
The appeal for service connection for degenerative arthritis of the lumbosacral spine was dismissed due to an untimely Notice of Disagreement.
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