The Board has determined that there was not substantial compliance with the May 2021 remand directives and thus, another remand is required. The Veteran's lumbar spine disability rating issues are being remanded for further development.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the prior instructions to note at what point pain begins were not followed in the September 2021 VA Medical Opinion, necessitating a new medical examination and opinion.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbar spine intervertebral disc syndrome (IVDS), degenerative disc disease (DDD)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 12, 2022
- Citation
- 22001698
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,934 · Granted: 41% (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 22001698.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran's service connection claims for degenerative disc disease, intervertebral disc syndrome, spinal stenosis, and bilateral lower extremity sciatica have been granted as they are related to his active duty service.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's back disability, diagnosed as lumbar strain, spinal stenosis and degenerative disc disease (DDD) of the lumbar spine, is causally related to service. As such, service connection for this condition is granted.
- Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for a neck/cervical spine disability, finding that his current condition is at least as likely as not related to active duty service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for a rating in excess of 20 percent for service-connected lumbar stenosis and DDD status post-laminectomy with cervical scars, and for a compensable disability rating for scars status-post laminectomy are denied.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for high blood pressure is remanded as there was insufficient evidence to determine the nature and etiology of his claimed disability.,The Veteran's claims for service connection for a cervical spine or neck disability, and for a prostate disability are denied.
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