The Board has remanded the issues of service connection for numbness in the left lower extremity and degenerative arthritis in the lumbar spine due to potential medical inadequacies in previous VA opinions.,Further examination or opinion is needed to determine if these conditions are related to service.
The deciding factor: Previous VA examinations did not adequately consider the Veteran's lay reports of symptom onset and continuity, nor did they address the theory of aggravation.
- Claimed conditions
- numbness, left lower extremity, degenerative arthritis, lumbar spine
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 11, 2020
- Citation
- 20011113
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 20011113.
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 granted an earlier effective date of December 6, 2001 for service connection for degenerative arthritis, lumbar spine based on newly associated service personnel records.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected conditions do not prevent him from obtaining and maintaining substantially gainful employment.
- Dismissed
The issues of service connection for degenerative arthritis, lumbar spine; right leg radiculopathy; and degenerative arthritis, cervical spine are dismissed as the Board granted service connection in a separate appeal stream.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection for degenerative arthritis and L4-L5 disc protrusion as secondary to a service-connected knee condition is granted.
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