The Board has remanded the claims for lumbar spondylosis and bilateral hip arthralgia due to inadequate VA examination opinions. The Veteran contends his current disabilities are related to an accident during service, but the November 2017 VA examiner provided a negative nexus opinion.
The deciding factor: The Board found the November 2017 VA examiner's opinions inadequate as they did not consider the Veteran’s lay contentions and the lack of documented treatment in service cannot serve as sole basis for a negative finding.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbar spondylosis (lumbar spine disability), bilateral hip arthralgia (claimed as pain on rotation) (bilateral hip disability)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 30, 2020
- Citation
- 20081576
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.
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- Granted
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