The Board has remanded three issues related to the Veteran's thoracolumbar spine disability, left and right lower extremity radiculopathy. The main reasons are that VA examinations were conducted during a flare-up without providing necessary ranges of motion in both weight-bearing and non-weight-bearing circumstances.
The deciding factor: VA examinations did not include all required joint testing as per Correia v. McDonald (2016).
- Claimed conditions
- degenerative arthritis with intervertebral disc syndrome, thoracic spine strain
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 7, 2019
- Citation
- 19161273
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 19161273.
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 claims for service connection for lumbosacral strain and thoracic spine strain as an adequate medical nexus opinion is not available.
- Granted
The Board granted an effective date of March 24, 2022, for the grant of service connection for various conditions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for thoracic spine strain to obtain a more accurate medical evaluation.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for thoracic spine strain, lumbar spine strain, degenerative arthritis, and intervertebral disc syndrome to correct a pre-decisional duty to assist error.
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