The Veteran's lumbosacral strain with myositis is rated at 20 percent, but the Board has remanded for further development due to insufficient evidence regarding the extent of his disability and its impact on his ability to work.
The deciding factor: The most recent VA examination did not provide sufficient information about the Veteran's functional limitations during flare-ups or after repeated use over time, which are required by 38 C.F.R. § 4.59 in evaluating joint disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbosacral strain with myositis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- October 19, 2020
- Citation
- 20067615
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,044 · Granted: 21% (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 20067615.
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 lumbar spine disability and sick sinus syndrome have been granted service connection. The lumbar spine disability is presumed due to continuous symptoms since service separation, while the sick sinus syndrome was not found to be related to in-service herbicide exposure or directly caused by any other condition.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's lumbosacral strain with myositis and TDIU claims are being remanded due to the need for a new VA examination and development of her employment history.
- Granted
The Veteran is entitled to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) as of November 4, 2004 due to his service-connected lumbar spine disorder and adjustment disorder.
- Granted
The veteran's service-connected disabilities render him unable to secure or maintain substantially gainful employment, and the Board has granted a TDIU based on these conditions.
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