The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence regarding whether the Veteran's thoracolumbar degenerative arthritis of the spine is secondary to her service-connected left knee disability.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner did not address the aggravation prong to secondary service connection and the Veteran suffers from abnormal/unsteady gait, which contradicts the VA examiner's findings.
- Claimed conditions
- thoracolumbar degenerative arthritis of the spine
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- August 22, 2023
- Citation
- 23046561
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 23046561.
What this means for you
A remand sends an issue back for more development, often a new examination or missing records. It does not award the benefit or decide the final outcome. The original decision explains the additional work ordered.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for thoracolumbar degenerative arthritis of the spine, degenerative disc disease, and IVDS was granted with an effective date of March 11, 2020.
- Denied
The Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates to establish service connection for thoracolumbar degenerative arthritis of the spine, right lower extremity radiculopathy, left lower extremity radiculopathy, and bilateral feet disabilities were denied as there was no CUE in the March 2007 rating decision.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's headaches are at least as likely as not caused by his service-connected traumatic brain injury, and thus grants service connection for this condition.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hypertension and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology.
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