The Board has remanded several claims due to outstanding SSA disability records for the Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including those of the spine and lower extremities.
The deciding factor: SSA disability records are needed as they may provide relevant information about the severity of the Veteran’s service-connected disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- spine, lower extremities
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 17, 2020
- Citation
- 20047895
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 20047895.
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
An earlier effective date of October 31, 2019, is granted for the Veteran's total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) and basic eligibility to Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA).
- Denied
The Veteran's cause of death was not related to his military service, and he did not meet the criteria for DIC under 38 U.S.C. § 1318.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claim due to inadequate medical opinions regarding whether the Veteran's service-connected spine and lower extremity disabilities caused or contributed to his death by respiratory failure and pulmonary fibrosis.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed all appeals for rating increases and earlier effective dates related to the Veteran's service-connected conditions.
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