The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate medical opinions regarding service connection for a lumbar spine disorder and TDIU is inextricably intertwined with this issue.
The deciding factor: Medical opinions are needed to determine if the Veteran's lumbar spine disorders were caused by or aggravated by his service-connected right knee patellofemoral syndrome, including due to an altered gait.
- Claimed conditions
- mild disc bulging, epidural cystic lesion, spinal cyst, spondylotic changes, epidural fat indents of the thecal sac
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 31, 2022
- Citation
- 22031739
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 22031739.
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 Board has granted service connection for a lumbar spine disability, diagnosed as sciatica, disc protrusion, facet arthropathy, and spondylotic changes with nerve root involvement, based on clear and unmistakable error in the September 2005 rating decision that denied service connection. The effective date is set at November 9, 2004.
- Partly granted
The Veteran's back disability is currently rated at 40 percent, and he has been granted TDIU. The claim for service connection of hypercholesterolemia was reopened but not granted.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected coronary artery disease, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the severity of his condition.
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.