The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for DDD of the lumbar spine and radiculopathy of the bilateral lower extremities, including as secondary to DDD of the lumbar spine. The Veteran's complaints of recurrent back pain in April 1991 are being evaluated for their potential relation to current DDD, and a VA medical opinion is needed regarding whether the radiculopathy had its onset during service or is related to service-connected conditions.
The deciding factor: The Board requested an addendum opinion to determine if the Veteran's complaints of recurrent back pain in April 1991 were early presentations of current DDD, and whether the radiculopathy was related to service.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative Disc Disease (DDD) of the lumbar spine, Radiculopathy of the bilateral lower extremities
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 22, 2020
- Citation
- 20068384
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 Board denied the veteran's claims for a higher rating for degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine and an earlier effective date for total disability based on individual unemployability.
- Denied
The Board denied an effective date prior to January 10, 2024, for the grant of service connection for degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine.
- Denied
The Board denied the claim for increased rating for degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine, both prior to and from December 2, 2019.
- Granted
The Board granted an initial disability rating of 40 percent for degenerative disc disease (DDD) of the lumbar spine.
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