The appeal is remanded to obtain additional medical opinions regarding the lumbar spine disorder and to address the need for aid and attendance.
The deciding factor: The Board erred in its previous decision by not adequately addressing the Veteran's functional loss during flare-ups and other relevant factors, necessitating a new opinion.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbar strain with degenerative disc disease, skin disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 13, 2025
- Citation
- 25007931
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.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed the claims for service connection for chronic lymphocytic leukemia and a skin disorder due to an improper concurrent election. The effective dates for the lumbar spine disability, left lower extremity radiculopathies, and TDIU were denied as they did not meet the criteria for earlier effective dates.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the issues of service connection for a bilateral foot disorder, an acquired psychiatric disorder, a skin disorder, and a sleep disorder, as well as an evaluation in excess of 10 percent for cystitis, due to the need for further development.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a 20 percent rating for the lumbar spine disorder from May 29, 2019, and denied special monthly compensation based on the need for aid and attendance.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a 20 percent rating for left foot injury residuals and left foot strain, but denied ratings in excess of 10 percent for hand/finger strains and service connection for a skin disorder.
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