The Veteran's appeal for increased ratings for his service-connected degenerative joint disease of the lumbosacral spine is remanded due to inadequate prior VA examinations and a need for a retrospective opinion.
The deciding factor: Prior VA examinations did not comply with regulatory requirements, necessitating a new examination to assess the severity of the Veteran's symptoms throughout the period on appeal.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative Joint Disease of the Lumbosacral Spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 20, 2021
- Citation
- 21075392
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 21075392.
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 back disability is rated at 40 percent effective January 30, 2013. The issue of service connection for seizures secondary to the low back disability has been remanded.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims due to outstanding SSA records and VA treatment records, as well as inadequate opinions regarding service connection for sleep apnea. The issues include rating adjustments for low back disability and determining whether sleep apnea is related to service or aggravated by other conditions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for increased ratings and effective dates are remanded due to procedural errors and need for additional medical opinions.
- Denied
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and TDIU were denied. The rating for the low back disability was denied prior to September 23, 2002, from June 22, 2022 forward, and for left lower extremity radiculopathy from May 22, 2009 forward. The Veteran's neck disability claims were also denied.
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