The Veteran's claim for a grant of specially adapted housing or special home adaptation is remanded due to the inextricability with other pending claims and the need for additional VA examinations. The case will be further developed before being adjudicated.
The deciding factor: Pending issues regarding increased ratings for right knee disabilities, lumbar spine disability, and a total disability rating based on individual unemployability have not been readjudicated yet, making this claim inextricably intertwined with them.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbar strain with degenerative disc disease, facet degenerative joint disease, right sacroiliac degenerative joint disease, residuals of a left knee replacement, residuals of a comminuted right second toe fracture, right knee chronic ligamentous strain
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 30, 2020
- Citation
- 20007874
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,987 · Granted: 15% (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 20007874.
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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for increased ratings for lumbar strain with degenerative disc disease and bilateral hearing loss has been dismissed as the Veteran requested a withdrawal of his appeal.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have rendered him unable to dress, undress, bathe, groom himself, prepare meals, and transport himself without the regular aid and attendance of another person. The Board has granted SMC based on the need for aid and attendance since October 10, 2012.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for increased ratings for lumbosacral strain, lower extremity radiculopathy (sciatic and femoral nerves), right knee disability, and cervical spine disorder was granted with effective dates of June 9, 2023.
- Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for special monthly compensation (SMC) based on the need for regular aid and attendance due to service-connected disabilities, including fibromyalgia, depressive disorder with anxiety disorder and alcohol abuse disorder, bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome, left knee ligament tear with degenerative arthritis, lumbar strain with degenerative disc disease, degenerative joint disease of hips and great toes, and right knee patellofemoral pain syndrome.
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