The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for increased ratings and TDIU due to service-connected lumbar and thoracolumbar spine disabilities. The remand is necessary because the VA examinations do not provide all of the necessary information regarding the extent of range of motion during flare-ups, which affects the evaluation process.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the VA examination reports did not comply with the requirements set forth in Sharp v. Shulkin (2017) and thus a retrospective opinion is needed to address the Veteran's functional impairment due to flare-ups.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative Disc Disease (DDD) of L1-5 (lumbar spine disability), Degenerative Disc Disease (DDD) of T8-12 (thoracolumbar spine disability)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- November 1, 2021
- Citation
- 21066580
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 21066580.
What this means for you
A remand sends an issue back for more development, often a new examination or missing records. It does not award the benefit or decide the final outcome. The original decision explains the additional work ordered.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
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- Whole decision: Granted
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