The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient information regarding retrospective ranges of motion and additional functional impairment since 2009.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner was unable to provide a retrospective opinion without resorting to speculation.
- Claimed conditions
- degenerative arthritis of the back
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 22, 2020
- Citation
- 20068436
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 a compensable rating for the Veteran's right hip strain, impairment of thigh and remanded the claim for an increased rating for degenerative arthritis of the back.
- Remanded (sent back)
The reduction of the evaluation from 50 percent to a 30 rating for service-connected right elbow disability based on limitation of flexion, effective May 7, 2018, was not proper.
- Partly granted
The veteran is entitled to an effective date of June 6, 2003, for the grant of service connection for bronchial asthma and folliculitis of the scalp. The claims for a rash on the hands and legs, as well as degenerative arthritis of the back, hands, and hips, were denied.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, effective from the date of the February 2025 rating decision.
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