The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his back disability, right lower extremity radiculopathy, and right shoulder disability due to additional development of records and clarification of functional loss during flare-ups or after repeated use over time.
The deciding factor: Additional evidence was identified that may assist in substantiating the current severity of the Veteran's disabilities, including recent treatment records from his local VA Medical Center. Clarification is needed regarding any additional loss of function due to flare-ups and repeated use over time for both the back and right shoulder disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- back disability (residuals status post dislocation with fusion at T-12 to L-1), right lower extremity radiculopathy, right shoulder disability (residuals of dislocation with traumatic arthritis with slight atrophy of the deltoid muscle)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 15, 2020
- Citation
- 20079147
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 20079147.
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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals were dismissed due to the death of the appellant. The issues related to service connection for various conditions and disability ratings.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for a lumbar spine disability, left lower extremity radiculopathy, and right lower extremity radiculopathy as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected lumbar spine disability.
- Granted
The Board has granted earlier effective dates for the grant of service connection for middle and index trigger finger/stenosing tenosynovitis of the right hand, left lower extremity radiculopathy, and right lower extremity radiculopathy. The earliest effective date is June 30, 2012, for the right hand condition and April 22, 2016, for bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for lumbar spine degenerative arthritis and DDD, as well as right and left lower extremity radiculopathy secondary to the now service-connected lumbar spine condition. The decision is based on a finding of relative equipoise in the evidence regarding whether these conditions are related to service.
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