The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for an initial rating in excess of 10 percent prior to November 30, 2017, and in excess of 20 percent thereafter for degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine (DDD), as well as his claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disability (TDIU). The remand is due to incomplete VA examination reports and failure to comply with previous Board directives.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner was unable to provide an adequate opinion regarding the Veteran's functional loss related to flare-ups, as well as range of motion measurements for pain on both active and passive motion and weight-bearing and nonweight-bearing. The remand is also due to failure to consider the previous examinations conducted in December 2012 and April 2016.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative Disc Disease (DDD)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 29, 2019
- Citation
- 19167266
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 19167266.
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 an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for degenerative disc disease and associated radiculopathy, as the record does not include all relevant treatment records prior to back surgery.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for a back disorder, including degenerative disc disease, degenerative arthritis, spondylolisthesis, and compression fracture at L2, as the evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were incurred in or aggravated by service.
- Granted
The Board granted an increased disability rating of 40 percent for degenerative disc disease and a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for degenerative disc disease as secondary to service-connected knee disabilities due to an inadequate medical opinion.
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