The Board has determined that a remand is necessary to obtain updated VA and private treatment records, schedule appropriate VA examinations, and consider the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for thoracolumbar strain with degenerative changes.
The deciding factor: The current examination reports are inadequate as they did not account for the ameliorative effects of medication used to treat the service-connected thoracolumbar spine strain with degenerative changes, did not state at what point during range of motion testing that pain began, and did not consider all relevant evidence of record.
- Claimed conditions
- thoracolumbar strain, degenerative changes
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 31, 2022
- Citation
- 22049568
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 22049568.
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 left knee strain with degenerative changes, finding that the Veteran's current condition is related to his in-service injury.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to a lack of evidence regarding the etiology of the Veteran's cervical spine disorder and an incomplete record of chiropractic care. The Veteran is requested to provide or authorize VA to obtain his treatment records from chiropractors, and an addendum opinion will be provided by a VA examiner.
- Granted
The Board has granted an effective date of August 14, 2024 for the award of a 40 percent rating for service-connected chronic compression fracture at T7 with lumbar spondylosis and thoracolumbar strain.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for service connection for back condition was denied in a June 1996 Board decision. The Veteran filed an intent to file a claim form and submitted a formal application on August 30, 2023, which resulted in the award of service connection with an initial rating of 40% effective from that date.
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