The case is remanded for further development to address the issues related to the Veteran's back disability before June 13, 2014.
The deciding factor: The Board must obtain the credentials of the October 2024 examiner and ensure a new opinion is provided that discounts the beneficial effects of medication on the severity of the Veteran's service-connected back disability during the relevant period.
- Claimed conditions
- service-connected back disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 31, 2025
- Citation
- 25004294
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,156 · Granted: 29% (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 25004294.
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 Veteran's claims for higher ratings and service connection grants are granted with effective dates of December 17, 2018.,An earlier effective date of December 17, 2018, is granted for the awards of service connection for left knee limitation of extension and right knee instability.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to inadequate opinions from a VA examiner regarding the etiology of the Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). The claim will be reviewed with an addendum opinion.
- Granted
The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are granted service connection, as is a 100% rating for his service-connected back disability from May 7, 2007 to April 5, 2019. He also receives TDIU and aid and attendance special monthly compensation during this period.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's service-connected back disability and hepatitis C have rendered him unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation, but the Board cannot award TDIU under § 4.16(b) in the first instance due to lack of schedular requirements. The case is REMANDED for an extraschedular determination as to whether he was entitled to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability.
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