The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for chronic low back strain and degenerative joint disease of the left hip with limitation of abduction due to inadequate VA examinations. The Veteran will need new, current evaluations to determine his range of motion in weightbearing and non-weightbearing planes.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the previous VA examinations were inadequate as they did not provide specific findings regarding the Veteran's pain during active and passive motion in both the back and left hip, which is necessary for a proper assessment of his disability ratings.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative Joint Disease of the Left Hip, Chronic Low Back Strain
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 13, 2021
- Citation
- A21019783
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 A21019783.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran's claims for service connection for left hip, right hip and left knee conditions have been granted.,Service connection has been established for degenerative joint disease of the bilateral hips and patellofemoral degenerative changes of the left knee.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected left hip, left shoulder, and cervical spine disabilities are being remanded due to the need for updated VA examinations.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation since December 13, 2018.
- Denied
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for left hip disability were denied as the current range of motion findings do not meet the criteria for higher ratings under the applicable rating criteria.
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