The Board remands the case for an addendum opinion to assess the severity of the Veteran's back disability, expressed in terms of range of motion and functional impairment during flare-ups.
The deciding factor: The previous VA examination was inadequate as it did not address the Veteran's lay statements regarding functional loss due to pain and did not provide measurements for any abnormal range of motion during a flare-up.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative arthritis of the spine (low back disability)
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 18, 2025
- Citation
- 25002316
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 910 · Granted: 31% (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 25002316.
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 Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient evidence regarding the onset and relationship of his low back disability and cervical spine disability to his military service. The Veteran is asked to provide additional medical opinions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the issues of entitlement to an earlier effective date and higher initial ratings for service-connected low back disability and left lower extremity radiculopathy due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error.
- Denied
The Veteran's low back disability has not been manifested by unfavorable ankylosis of the entire thoracolumbar spine or unfavorable ankylosis of the entire spine, and there have not been incapacitating episodes of intervertebral disc syndrome (IVDS) requiring bed rest prescribed by a physician and treatment by a physician having a total duration of at least six weeks during the 12-month period. As such, the Veteran's claim for a disability rating in excess of 40 percent for his low back disability has been denied.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional examinations and development of records.
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