The Veteran's thoracolumbar disc disease remains at a 40% rating. Service connection for psychiatric disorders, left and right arm numbness are remanded due to inadequate examination standards.
The deciding factor: The VA examinations did not properly address the standard for service connection of pre-existing conditions or secondary service connection.
- Claimed conditions
- thoracolumbar disc disease, psychiatric disorder (PTSD, anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder), left arm loss of feeling and numbness, right arm loss of feeling and numbness
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 14, 2020
- Citation
- 20066583
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,341 · Granted: 33% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 20066583.
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
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including thoracolumbar disc disease and cervical disc disease with right shoulder disability, have rendered him unable to secure and maintain substantially gainful employment.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the cases due to a need for another VA examination to consider the Veteran's lay statements regarding his back pain since service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for service connection and initial ratings are being remanded due to the failure of VA to contact him at his new address in Georgia. The examinations scheduled for June 2018 have not been conducted, and a copy of the Supplemental Statement of the Case (SSOC) was sent to two prior addresses in South Carolina.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for his thoracolumbar degenerative joint disease and disc disease is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including a new VA examination.
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