The Board has granted the petition to reopen a previously denied claim for service connection for low back pain/strain. The claims for service connection for neuropathy/radiculopathy of bilateral upper and lower extremities are remanded due to new evidence received after an unappealed rating decision.
The deciding factor: New relevant evidence was submitted that relates to the issue of whether a current diagnosis of lumbar osteoporosis and radiculopathy is related to service, including an in-service back injury.
- Claimed conditions
- low back pain/strain, osteoporosis with vertebral compression fractures, lumbar radiculopathy without myopathy from congenital abnormality of spine, chronic extensive degenerative disease of the lumbar spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 9, 2020
- Citation
- A20018228
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,990 · Granted: 35% (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 A20018228.
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 TDIU was denied as her service-connected disabilities did not present an exceptional or unusual disability picture prior to July 1, 2011, and they do not markedly interfere with employment after that date.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities render him in need of regular aid and attendance due to his physical and mental incapacity, which requires care and assistance on a regular basis.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to the RO for a Board hearing before a Veterans Law Judge sitting at the Montgomery RO regarding all six issues on appeal.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to the need for a new VA examination and additional development of the Veteran's treatment records.
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