The Veteran's claims for increased disability evaluations for his service-connected chronic lumbar sprain with degenerative disc disease at L4-L5 and his claim of entitlement to TDIU are being remanded due to the need for additional development.,The Board finds that additional relevant medical evidence was received following the issuance of a supplemental statement of the case in November 2020. The Veteran's claims must be remanded so that the AOJ can consider all evidence pertaining to his claims on appeal.
The deciding factor: Additional development is needed due to the need for retrospective medical opinions regarding functional loss due to flare-ups and whether the Veteran's pain on motion is equivalent to ankylosis.
- Claimed conditions
- chronic lumbar sprain, degenerative disc disease at L4-L5
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 21, 2023
- Citation
- 23017778
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 23017778.
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for temporomandibular joint disorder and left shoulder sprain, but denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss. The cervical spine condition was remanded.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for various service-connected conditions, including migraine headaches, PTSD with TBI, chronic lumbar sprain, bilateral plantar fasciitis, and scars.
- Denied
The Veteran's back condition resulted in no less than estimated forward flexion of 55 degrees with flare-ups, but not meeting the criteria for a higher rating. The claim for an increased rating is denied.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including her back and left ankle conditions, rendered her unable to secure or maintain substantially gainful employment prior to October 9, 2017.
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