The Veteran's claim for an effective date earlier than September 7, 2006 for the award of service connection for degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine with spinal stenosis was denied. The Board found that the evidence did not show the award of service connection was based all or in part on newly added service treatment records.,The Veteran's claim for an initial 40 percent rating for sciatica of the left lower extremity and right lower extremity was granted, effective September 7, 2006.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not show that the award of service connection for degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine with spinal stenosis was based all or in part on newly added service treatment records.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine with spinal stenosis, Sciatica of the left lower extremity, Sciatica of the right lower extremity
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- May 18, 2021
- Citation
- 21030382
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 21030382.
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 Veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 10 percent for degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine with spinal stenosis was denied for the period from July 17, 2007 to April 3, 2017.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine with spinal stenosis is denied as it does not meet the criteria for a higher rating.,The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for PTSD is denied as it does not meet the criteria for a 100% disability rating.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection for a back condition is being readjudicated due to new and relevant evidence submitted after the April 2018 rating decision. The issue of entitlement to service connection for his claimed back condition remains on appeal.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for a low back disability and sciatica of both lower extremities, to include as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected foot and knee disabilities, due to pre-decisional duty to assist errors.
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