The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for clarification regarding whether his symptoms manifest as unfavorable ankylosis of the entire thoracolumbar spine or the entire spine, and when these symptoms manifested.
The deciding factor: Clarification needed on whether the Veteran's symptoms manifest as unfavorable ankylosis of the entire thoracolumbar spine or the entire spine, and when these symptoms manifested.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative Joint Disease of Lumbar Spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 26, 2023
- Citation
- 23058115
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 23058115.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine and left leg radiculopathy have been granted a 40 percent rating. However, his right leg radiculopathy and left leg radiculopathy are remanded for further review.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD and lumbar spine conditions, have rendered him permanently housebound since April 7, 2018. The Board has granted an effective date of April 7, 2018 for SMC based on his housebound status.
- Denied
The Veteran's lumbar and cervical spine disabilities are each rated at 20 percent, but the Board found they do not warrant higher ratings based on the criteria provided.
- Granted
The Board has granted a temporary total evaluation for the Veteran's service-connected lumbar spine disability due to surgery necessitating at least one month of convalescence following back surgeries in January and August 2018.
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