The Veteran's claims for increased ratings of his service-connected lumbar spine condition and bilateral knee conditions are remanded due to inadequate examination reports.
The deciding factor: The VA examinations did not provide sufficient findings regarding the functional limitations caused by pain, weakness, fatigue, and incoordination during flare-ups or repetitive use.
- Claimed conditions
- compression fracture T-12, thoracic spine osteoarthritis, lumbar degenerative disc disease, left knee patellofemoral syndrome, right knee patellofemoral syndrome
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 11, 2019
- Citation
- 19178206
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 granted a 40 percent rating for the Veteran's lumbar degenerative disc disease, resolving reasonable doubt in favor of the claimant.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for a higher rating in excess of the current ratings for various musculoskeletal conditions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the case for further development and readjudication of the veteran's claims.
- Partly granted
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection, except for separate awards of service connection for left knee instability and right knee instability.
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