The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine, left and right knee impairments, and right shoulder impairment. The issues are related to exposure during his service in Iraq and Saudi Arabia.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner did not provide sufficient rationale for their opinions regarding the etiology of the Veteran's claimed conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative Arthritis of the Lumbar Spine, Left Knee Impairment, Right Knee Impairment, Right Shoulder Impairment (status post rotator cuff surgery), Left Shoulder Impairment
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- Burn pits / airborne hazards
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 24, 2019
- Citation
- 19180678
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.
- Denied
The Board denied all claims for increased ratings, except for sinusitis which was granted a higher rating.
- Denied
The Board denied increased disability ratings for PTSD, bilateral plantar fasciitis and pes planus, TBI, right shoulder strain, SLAP, degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine, and radiculopathy of the right lower extremity associated with degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, right hip disability, and right knee disability as not related to the Veteran's lumbar spine disability or otherwise related to service. The claim to reopen a pinched nerve in the cervical spine with headaches was also denied due to lack of new and material evidence. The denial included initial and increased rating claims for shingles, degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine, radiculopathy of both lower extremities, and granted an evaluation of 60 percent for shingles from August 12, 2020, as well as a TDIU from May 15, 2014 to August 12, 2020.
- Partly granted
The Veteran's DDD of the cervical spine was granted a 20% rating effective February 28, 2018. His bilateral hearing loss and degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine were denied increased ratings. The TDIU issue is remanded.
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