The Board has determined that additional VA examinations are necessary to properly assess the Veteran's lumbar spine and left knee disabilities, as well as their impact on his TDIU claim. The case is being remanded for these purposes.
The deciding factor: The current evidence of record does not provide adequate information regarding the extent of pain and functional loss associated with the Veteran's lumbar spine and left knee disabilities during range of motion testing.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine, Left knee strain
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 16, 2020
- Citation
- 20067338
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 Board granted service connection for a lumbar spine disability, finding that the Veteran's current degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine is related to an in-service bicycle accident.
- Partly granted
The Veteran's cervical spine disability is granted a 30 percent rating, while the lumbar and lower extremity radiculopathy claims are denied. An earlier effective date for right lower extremity radiculopathy was granted, and TDIU based on single service-connected disability is remanded.
- Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, while remanding claims for depression, anxiety, sleep disorder, right knee strain, left knee strain, and lumbar spine strain.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine to correct a duty to assist error.
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