The Board has remanded the case due to an inadequate VA examination, requiring a new one that addresses the Veteran's lay statements and detailed clinical history.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner did not address the Veteran’s lay statements as directed by the Board in the underlying remand.
- Claimed conditions
- L5-S1 degenerative disc disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 9, 2021
- Citation
- 21007386
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 21007386.
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.
- Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for several conditions but granted it for right hip disability and assigned a 20 percent rating for right knee instability. Some issues were remanded.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has found that the VA medical opinions are inadequate and remands the case for additional examinations to address the etiology of the Veteran's claimed conditions, including L5-S1 and C3-C7 degenerative disc disease, lumbar scoliosis, lumbar spondylosis/osteoarthritis, and spinal cord impingement.
- Granted
The Board has restored service connection for lumbosacral strain, effective July 1, 2018. The Veteran's current lumbar spine condition is now considered to be L5-S1 degenerative disc disease.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal for a higher rating for her L5-S1 degenerative disc disease is being remanded due to the need for additional examination and consideration of flare-ups.
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