The Board remands the matter for additional development, including a new VA examination to address the Veteran's back disability and ensure the examination is adequate in light of the Court's holding in Correia v. McDonald.
The deciding factor: The March 2025 medical opinions are inadequate as they do not adequately address the ameliorative effects of medication during the appeal period, which is required by Jones v. Shinseki and McCarroll v. McDonald.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative arthritis of the thoracolumbar spine, Radiculopathy, right lower extremity
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 27, 2025
- Citation
- 25008545
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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for degenerative arthritis of the thoracolumbar spine as there was no evidence of an in-service incurrence or a relationship to service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the matter of entitlement to specially adapted housing for a VA examination to determine the current severity of the Veteran's service-connected disabilities.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for an initial disability rating in excess of 20 percent for degenerative arthritis of the thoracolumbar spine and in excess of 10 percent for left and right lower extremity radiculopathy (sciatic nerve) to ensure compliance with the duty to assist.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for degenerative arthritis of the cervical spine and thoracolumbar spine, resolving all reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran.
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