The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for thoracolumbar degenerative disc disease and degenerative joint disease, as well as chronic sinusitis, due to inadequate medical opinions regarding their severity prior to October 13, 2016. The Veteran is also requested to provide additional evidence related to his sinusitis.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the previous VA examination did not adequately address the functional impact of flare-ups on the Veteran's spine disability and required a retrospective medical opinion.
- Claimed conditions
- thoracolumbar degenerative disc disease, thoracolumbar degenerative joint disease (claimed as low back condition), chronic sinusitis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 14, 2020
- Citation
- 20025513
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 20025513.
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 Board has denied service connection for chronic rhinitis, chronic sinusitis, and chronic fatigue syndrome as there is no evidence of a current disability in the record.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has denied service connection for chronic sinusitis and remanded the claim for a lumbar spine disability due to insufficient evidence.
- Dismissed
The appeal seeking readjudication of the previously denied claim for PTSD and multiple other conditions is dismissed due to a procedural defect. The Veteran's authorized representative at the time the appeal was submitted did not have the authority to file the appeal.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew their claims for service connection for chronic rhinitis and chronic sinusitis, thus the appeal is dismissed.
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