The Board remands the appeal for further examination to clarify the severity of the Veteran's neck and low back disabilities, specifically regarding range of motion testing in weight-bearing and non-weight-bearing conditions.
The deciding factor: The May 2021 VA examination reports contain contradictions that require clarification, particularly regarding range of motion testing under different circumstances.
- Claimed conditions
- chronic cervical strain (neck disability), degenerative disc disease (DDD) (neck disability), chronic lumbar strain (low back disability)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 10, 2022
- Citation
- 22001192
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,506 · Granted: 43% (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 22001192.
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 disability rating greater than 20 percent for service-connected chronic lumbar strain (low back disability) was denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on forward flexion of the thoracolumbar spine being less than or equal to 30 degrees, nor favorable ankylosis of the entire spine.
- Denied
The Veteran's low back disability is currently rated at 20 percent, which fully reflects the severity of his symptoms as described in the VA examinations. The rating does not exceed what is warranted based on the evidence provided.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided that the Veteran's low back disability needs further evaluation and remands the case for a VA examination to assess its current severity.
- Denied
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection were denied as the evidence did not support higher ratings or additional service-connected disabilities.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.