The Board has remanded the case due to an inadequate VA examination, and the claim for service connection for degenerative joint disease of the spine is now pending.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner did not adequately account for the Veteran's lay statements regarding chronicity of care in his conclusions, nor explain the treating physician’s notation that the condition was 'early degenerative disc.'
- Claimed conditions
- degenerative joint disease of the spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 13, 2019
- Citation
- A19000894
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,421 · Granted: 31% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 A19000894.
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 hypertension, but the spine and TDIU issues remain pending as they are intertwined with the hypertension issue.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have prevented him from obtaining and maintaining employment consistent with his occupational and vocational experience, leading to a TDIU grant.
- Dismissed
The Board has dismissed all service connection claims due to the appellant's death.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has granted SMC based on the need for aid and attendance due to service-connected disabilities. The issue of a higher rating for bilateral multifocal lens implants is remanded for additional development.
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