The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate medical opinions regarding the Veteran's service-connected chronic lumbosacral strain and its relationship to his degenerative disc disease. The Veteran needs a new VA examination to assess the current severity of his service-connected condition, including range of motion testing, functional limitations, and neurological abnormalities. Additionally, he needs an opinion on whether his degenerative disc disease is related to his service-connected lumbosacral strain or service.
The deciding factor: The medical opinions provided were inadequate as they did not address the Veteran's complaints of continuous back pain and radicular symptoms in providing an opinion regarding the relationship between his service-connected chronic lumbosacral strain and degenerative disc disease.
- Claimed conditions
- chronic lumbosacral strain, degenerative disc disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 21, 2020
- Citation
- 20061922
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 20061922.
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 specially-adapted housing assistance and a special home adaptation grant was denied because he does not meet the criteria for either benefit based on his service-connected disabilities.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a back condition, including degenerative disc disease and scoliosis, due to lack of current disability evidence.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the VA examinations related to the Veteran's lower back condition and surgical scars are inadequate, necessitating a remand for further evaluation.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection of a low back disability and bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy, finding inadequate medical opinions due to failure to consider all relevant evidence.
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