The Board has remanded the case for a retrospective medical opinion to assess the severity of the Veteran's service-connected back disability from November 30, 2010. The claims are now pending and will be reconsidered.
The deciding factor: The VA examination reports dated prior to February 11, 2020 were not fully adequate as they did not address pain on both active and passive motion in weight-bearing and nonweight-bearing settings, nor did they provide findings regarding functional loss due to flare-ups. The parties requested a retrospective opinion.
- Claimed conditions
- ankylosing spondylitis of the lumbar spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 27, 2022
- Citation
- 22042731
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 22042731.
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 determined that the Veteran's ankylosing spondylitis of the lumbar spine is related to service and grants service connection for this condition.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for ankylosing spondylitis of the cervical spine and lumbar spine, finding that it is at least as likely as not related to environmental factors during active military service. Service connection was also granted for a bilateral hip condition, but this issue is remanded due to insufficient medical opinion regarding its relationship to service-connected conditions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran is seeking to have the effective dates for his service-connected conditions and TDIU revised due to a claimed error in the original rating decisions. The Board has determined that these claims should be remanded for further action.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for ankylosing spondylitis of the cervical spine, lumbar spine, and bilateral hip condition due to in-service infections or exposure to herbicide agents. The AOJ must obtain a new medical opinion addressing the etiology of these conditions.
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.