The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate examination for determining the severity of the Veteran's lumbar spine disability. Additional development is needed, including a new VA examination that complies with the criteria established by Correia and Sharp.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner failed to conduct necessary testing as per the February 2019 Board remand directives and provided inadequate information about the Veteran’s report of flare-ups.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbar spine arthritis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 3, 2019
- Citation
- 19142339
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 Board remands the matter for an opinion addressing the severity of the Veteran's lumbar spine arthritis, without considering the beneficial effects of medication.
- Dismissed
The appeal for service connection for cervical spine arthritis, lumbar spine arthritis, traumatic brain injury (TBI), seizure disorder, and erectile dysfunction has been dismissed due to the Veteran's death.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for lumbar spine arthritis and degenerative disc disease, resolving all reasonable doubt in the Veteran's favor.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for lumbar spine arthritis and cervical spine arthritis to obtain an addendum opinion regarding whether in-service physical activity caused these disabilities.
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