The Veteran's thoracic spine disability has worsened since his last VA examination, and a new examination is needed to assess the current severity of the condition. The examiner should also identify any associated neurologic impairments due to the thoracic spine disability.
The deciding factor: The Veteran claimed that his thoracic spine disability has worsened since his last VA examination, necessitating a remand for a new examination.
- Claimed conditions
- levoscoliosis of the thoracic spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 16, 2020
- Citation
- 20003975
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,240 · Granted: 28% (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 20003975.
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 has decided to remand the Veteran's claim for a thoracolumbar spine disability as there is insufficient evidence of functional impairment with repetitive use over time. The case will be returned to the AOJ for further action.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected thoracolumbar spine disability, levoscoliosis, is granted a 20 percent rating. The condition more nearly approximated muscle spasm severe enough to result in abnormal spinal contour such as scoliosis.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to inadequate VA examination reports, and further development is required.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for his thoracic spine disorder was denied. The RO increased the evaluation from 10 percent to 20 percent effective April 4, 2012.
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