The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for lumbsacral strain is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including a new VA examination.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the previous VA examination did not adequately address the severity and frequency of flare-ups and their functional effects on the Veteran's occupational functioning and daily activities.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbsacral strain
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 16, 2019
- Citation
- 19194265
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,287 · Granted: 23% (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 19194265.
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 has determined that the VA's improper revocation of the Veteran and his spouse's eligibility for the PCAFC program was unjustified, and thus restored their basic eligibility.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to incomplete medical opinions and missing service records. The Veteran's back disability is being reviewed for possible service connection.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an effective date prior to October 7, 2015 for the award of service connection for lumbosacral strain with degenerative arthritis and IVDS. The decision found that no earlier effective date was warranted as the Veteran did not have a pending claim prior to his October 7, 2015 request to reopen.
- Granted
The Veteran's lumbosacral strain has been rated at 40 percent since August 18, 2009.,The Veteran is granted a TDIU effective November 1, 2014.
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