The Veteran is seeking service connection for his lumbar spine conditions, which he claims are secondary to his service-connected left knee disability. The Board has determined that a remand is necessary to obtain an addendum opinion regarding the direct relationship of these conditions to his military service.
The deciding factor: An addendum opinion is needed to determine if any diagnosed low back disability is at least as likely as not (50 percent probability or greater) caused by or aggravated beyond its normal course of progression by the Veteran's service-connected left knee disability.
- Claimed conditions
- degenerative joint disease, lumbar spine, degenerative disc disease, lumbar spine
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 13, 2018
- Citation
- 1814388
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 1814388.
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.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine and dismissed the appeal regarding service connection for headaches. The proposed severance of service connection for hypertension is also dismissed as a matter of law.
- Denied
The Veteran's TDIU from April 1, 2020 is denied as the evidence does not show that his service-connected disabilities prevent him from obtaining and maintaining substantially gainful employment.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided that the Veteran does not have a current disability of hearing loss and denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss. The Board also found insufficient evidence to establish service connection for degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine, thus remanding the case.
- Dismissed
The appeal for service connection for degenerative joint disease, lumbar spine was dismissed due to the Veteran's death.
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