The Board has remanded the claims for entitlement to service connection for a right foot disability and left ankle disability due to incomplete development. The claim for low back disability remains denied as there is no evidence of an in-service injury or disease that caused current degenerative arthritis.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner found that the Veteran's current mild degenerative changes would not correspond with the in-service injury in July 2009, and there is no evidence of a continuity of symptomatology since service.
- Claimed conditions
- low back degenerative arthritis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 6, 2021
- Citation
- 21062045
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,030 · Granted: 17% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 21062045.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for an increased disability evaluation for low back degenerative arthritis is being remanded due to the need for a VA peripheral nerves examination and a supplemental opinion regarding the impact of medication on his condition.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have rendered him disabled to the extent that he requires regular aid and assistance of another person, warranting special monthly compensation based on the need for aid and attendance.
- Partly granted
The Board denied increased ratings for various knee and back conditions, sciatica, and femoral nerve impairment, except for a 20 percent rating granted for left and right femoral nerve impairment beginning August 25, 2022.
- Granted
The veteran's service connection for a low back disorder, including degenerative arthritis and disc disease, is granted. The decision is based on the presumption of continuity of symptomatology since service.
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