The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the relationship between the Veteran's back disability and his service-connected right knee disability. A VA examination is needed to determine if there is a link between the Veteran's current back disabilities and his military service.
The deciding factor: The medical opinions provided were inadequate as they did not address whether the Veteran's back disabilities are related to his service-connected right knee disability.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative arthritis of the spine with intervertebral disc syndrome, Spinal stenosis
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 23, 2019
- Citation
- 19139443
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,604 · Granted: 65% (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 19139443.
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 Veteran's claims for service connection for his lumbar spine condition and left lower extremity radiculopathy are being remanded due to incomplete service records and a lack of relevant VA treatment records. The Board will seek additional opinions regarding the etiology of these conditions.
- Denied
The Veteran's lumbosacral strain with degenerative arthritis, herniated disc, IVDS and spinal stenosis is rated at 40 percent since August 19, 2020. The appeal period did not show unfavorable ankylosis or incapacitating episodes of IVDS.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities render him so helpless as to require the regular aid and attendance of another person, meeting the criteria for special monthly compensation based on the need for regular aid and attendance.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for degenerative arthritis and spinal stenosis of the lumbar spine, finding that symptoms began during service and have persisted since.
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