The Board has remanded the claim for a VA examiner to provide an opinion on whether the Veteran's service-connected left knee and foot disabilities caused or aggravated his low back disability, including thoracolumbar arthritis and right hemilaminectomy.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the previous VA examination did not adequately address the aggravation prong of secondary service connection and required a new opinion to consider the impact of obesity on the Veteran's condition.
- Claimed conditions
- thoracolumbar arthritis, right hemilaminectomy
- How they argued it
- Aggravation of a pre-existing condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 6, 2024
- Citation
- A24053573
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 A24053573.
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 an effective date of May 11, 2010 for the award of a total disability rating based upon individual unemployability (TDIU) due to service-connected disabilities.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for cervical arthritis and thoracolumbar arthritis, finding that the Veteran's current disabilities are related to his military service.
- Granted
The Board has restored service connection for thoracolumbar arthritis and loss of use of both feet associated with thoracolumbar arthritis. The severance decisions were improper due to the lack of clear and unmistakable error in the original determinations.
- Granted
The Veteran's thoracolumbar arthritis is granted an initial increased rating of 20 percent, but no higher. The Veteran's cervical strain with degenerative arthritis prior to September 25, 2020 and from September 25, 2020 are both granted increased ratings of 10 percent and 30 percent respectively. There is no increase in rating for right sciatic radicular pain.
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