The Board has determined that the reduction in ratings for the Veteran's service-connected lumbar and cervical spine disabilities was improper, and the original ratings are restored. The issues of increased ratings for both conditions and TDIU remain pending.
The deciding factor: The reduction decisions were not in accordance with applicable law and regulations due to failure to consider specific provisions related to reductions in disability ratings.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine with spinal stenosis, Cervical spondylosis with spinal stenosis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 24, 2020
- Citation
- 20006021
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 112 · Granted: 20% (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 20006021.
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 Veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 10 percent for degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine with spinal stenosis was denied for the period from July 17, 2007 to April 3, 2017.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine with spinal stenosis is denied as it does not meet the criteria for a higher rating.,The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for PTSD is denied as it does not meet the criteria for a 100% disability rating.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection for a back condition is being readjudicated due to new and relevant evidence submitted after the April 2018 rating decision. The issue of entitlement to service connection for his claimed back condition remains on appeal.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that new and relevant evidence has been received to readjudicate the claims for service connection for degenerative arthritis of the cervical spine with spinal stenosis and degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine with spinal stenosis. The claims are being remanded due to a lack of contemporaneous medical records.
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