The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for a rating in excess of 10 percent and greater than 20 percent for degenerative arthritis, lumbar spine due to inadequate development.
The deciding factor: The examination provided by VA was not adequate as it did not include a retrospective opinion addressing severity including flare-ups, pain, weakness, fatigability, and incoordination throughout the entire period on appeal.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative arthritis, lumbar spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 5, 2023
- Citation
- 23000721
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 709 · Granted: 38% (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 23000721.
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 initial rating for cervical spine degenerative arthritis was denied as it did not meet the criteria for a higher rating during the appeal period.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine, acromioclavicular joint osteoarthritis of the right shoulder, and osteoarthritis and degenerative arthritis of the right knee prior to October 25, 2023. The claim for a left knee disability was also granted based on continuity of symptoms since service.
- Denied
The Board denied entitlement to ratings in excess of 10 percent prior to June 16, 2010; 20 percent from June 16, 2010, to March 19, 2024; and 40 percent from March 20, 2024, for degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for a lumbar spine disorder, diagnosed as degenerative arthritis, but remanded the other claims for further development.
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