The Board has denied an earlier effective date for the award of a 60 percent rating for degenerative disc disease of the lumbosacral spine, and the case is being remanded to consider the Veteran's September 2010 statement requesting an increased rating.,The Court has ordered that the VA examinations and opinions concerning hypertension and kidney cysts be reconsidered due to inadequate explanations in prior VA medical opinions.
The deciding factor: The effective date for a grant of an increased rating is generally the date of claim or the date entitlement arose, whichever is later. In this case, the Veteran's September 2010 statement requesting an increase was not addressed by the Board and thus does not meet the earlier effective date criteria.,VA medical opinions concerning hypertension and kidney cysts were deemed inadequate due to insufficient explanations in prior VA medical opinions.
- Claimed conditions
- degenerative disc disease of the lumbosacral spine, hypertension, bilateral kidney cysts
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 29, 2020
- Citation
- 20043753
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 20043753.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hypertension and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including VA examinations.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for additional development due to conflicting opinions regarding service connection for peripheral neuropathy, hypertension, and skin disabilities related to herbicide exposure.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension and increased rating for anxiety disorder have been denied. The Board found that there is no evidence of a current disability meeting the criteria for hypertension, and the Veteran's anxiety disorder does not meet the criteria for a higher rating.
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