The Board has determined that the VA examinations and opinions are inadequate for the thoracolumbar spine condition, including arthritis and stenosis, as well as the bilateral knee and leg conditions. The claims are being remanded to obtain a fully informed evaluation of the Veteran's claimed disabilities.
The deciding factor: The VA examinations did not consider all relevant evidence, including the Veteran's contentions regarding his service in Vietnam and post-service employment, which could impact the determination of whether his current conditions are related to his military service.
- Claimed conditions
- thoracolumbar spine condition (including arthritis and stenosis), bilateral knee and leg conditions
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 7, 2021
- Citation
- 21062480
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,249 · Granted: 37% (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 21062480.
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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- Denied
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- Granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD is granted as the evidence shows a current diagnosis of PTSD, an in-service stressor, and a medical link between the two.
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