The Board remands the matter for further evidentiary development to obtain a retrospective VA medical opinion regarding the severity of the Veteran's service-connected low back strain with traumatic arthritis of the sacroiliac joints prior to October 8, 2015.
The deciding factor: The February 2024 VA examiner failed to provide adequate opinions on range of motion and flare-ups as required by the Board's December 2023 remand directives.
- Claimed conditions
- low back strain with traumatic arthritis of the sacroiliac joints
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 30, 2025
- Citation
- 25005873
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
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Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
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