The Veteran's lumbar spine spondylosis with degenerative disc disease is being remanded for a new VA examination to assess the severity of his disability and determine if he should be granted an increased rating.
The deciding factor: The most recent VA examination was conducted over three years ago, and the Veteran has provided evidence that he has been receiving steroid injections which may affect his lumbar spine symptoms. Therefore, a new examination is needed to assess the current severity of his disability.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbar spine spondylosis with degenerative disc disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 26, 2019
- Citation
- 19189008
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,500 · Granted: 29% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 19189008.
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.
- Partly granted
The Veteran's claims for increased rating and service connection for his acquired psychiatric disability are remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions and examinations.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for left knee patellofemoral pain syndrome with limitation of extension and flexion, as well as right knee patellofemoral pain syndrome. The lumbar spine spondylosis with degenerative disc disease claim is granted with a rating of 20 percent effective July 7, 2015.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and TDIU are remanded due to the failure to schedule a VA examination, potential unemployability, and worsening of his service-connected disabilities.
- Denied
The Veteran's lumbar spine spondylosis with degenerative disc disease is rated at 20 percent, the highest possible rating under VA guidelines. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on functional loss or other criteria.
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