The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining a retrospective medical opinion to capture the severity of the Veteran's bilateral hip and low back disability prior to January 16, 2019.
The deciding factor: The Court found that the Board's decisions were based on inadequate VA examination reports from February 2010 and March 2015, which did not address the Veteran's complaints of pain during flare-ups or quantify any functional limitation in loss of motion.
- Claimed conditions
- left hip strain with limitation of flexion, right hip strain with limitation of flexion, degenerative disc disease (DDD) of the lumbar spine with spondylosis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 18, 2020
- Citation
- 20054647
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 20054647.
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
This decision grants effective dates no earlier than July 17, 2017 for the Veteran's service-connected PTSD, intervertebral disc syndrome of the lumbar spine with degenerative arthritis, radiculopathy (sciatic) of the right lower extremity, left hip strain (extension), a 10 percent rating for left hip strain with limitation of flexion, and right hip strain with impairment (extension).,An earlier effective date is granted based on the Veteran's Intent to File form submitted on July 17, 2017.
- Granted
This decision grants effective dates no earlier than July 17, 2017 for the Veteran's service-connected PTSD, intervertebral disc syndrome of the lumbar spine with degenerative arthritis, radiculopathy (sciatic) of the right lower extremity, left hip strain (extension), a 10 percent rating for left hip strain with limitation of flexion, and right hip strain with impairment (extension).,An earlier effective date is granted based on the Veteran's Intent to File form submitted on July 17, 2017.
- Granted
This decision grants effective dates no earlier than July 17, 2017 for the Veteran's service-connected PTSD, intervertebral disc syndrome of the lumbar spine with degenerative arthritis, radiculopathy (sciatic) of the right lower extremity, left hip strain (extension), a 10 percent rating for left hip strain with limitation of flexion, and right hip strain with impairment (extension).,An earlier effective date is granted based on the Veteran's Intent to File form submitted on July 17, 2017.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities were considered permanent and total in nature as of August 6, 2020, which is the earliest date on which she can establish basic eligibility for DEA under 38 U.S.C. Chapter 35.
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