The Board denied service connection for degenerative arthritis and degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine, finding that there was no in-service injury or event leading to these conditions. The claim for bronchitis is remanded due to insufficient medical opinion regarding its relationship to service-connected pneumonia.
The deciding factor: The VA physician did not provide an opinion on whether the Veteran's current bronchitis was caused by his service-connected pneumonia, which is required for a decision on this issue.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative arthritis (DA) and degenerative disc disease (DDD) of the lumbar spine, Bronchitis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 31, 2018
- Citation
- 18146502
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 18146502.
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 Veteran's initial disability rating for bronchitis with asthma is granted at a 60 percent level through December 26, 2023. The rating of 10 percent between December 27, 2023 and November 11, 2025 is denied. A higher rating since November 12, 2025 is also denied.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim of service connection for a lumbar spine disability has been reopened due to the submission of new and relevant evidence. The case is being remanded for further adjudication.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date of January 30, 2018, for the evaluation of bronchitis is granted. The Board found that the Veteran continuously pursued his claims and the AOJ erred in denying the claim based on incorrect appeal form submission.
- Remanded (sent back)
For the period prior to June 3, 2024, a 40 percent evaluation for degenerative disc disease L4-5 (lumbar disability) is granted.,For the entire period on appeal, an evaluation more than 40 percent for a lumbar disability is denied.
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