The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate examinations in determining the severity of the Veteran's lower back strain with degenerative arthritis. The Veteran will need a new VA examination to assess his current condition and functional loss.
The deciding factor: The VA examinations did not adequately address the frequency, duration, and extent of flare-ups and their impact on the Veteran’s ability to function.
- Claimed conditions
- lower back strain, degenerative arthritis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 23, 2020
- Citation
- 20080903
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 service connection for chronic fatigue syndrome, benign prostatic hyperplasia, erectile dysfunction, and lower back strain as the evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were incurred in or caused by active service.
- Dismissed
The appeal seeking service connection for diabetes mellitus, type II, degenerative arthritis, hyperlipidemia, and hypertension was dismissed due to non-compliance with claims processing rules.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for various conditions to correct pre-decisional duty to assist errors, including obtaining outstanding Social Security Administration records.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for a right foot disability, diagnosed as degenerative arthritis, fibrocartilaginous calcaneonavicular with lateral cuneiform cuboid coalition, other unspecified right ankle disorder, and status post right foot fracture.
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