The Board remands the issue of entitlement to a disability rating in excess of 20 percent for lumbosacral strain from March 21, 2022 onwards due to insufficient evidence regarding the severity and impact of the Veteran's condition during flare-ups.
The deciding factor: The Board finds that additional development is necessary to determine the severity of the Veteran's lumbar spine disability without considering the ameliorative effects of medication and whether there are signs or symptoms of radiculopathy, as well as to address any functional loss due to flare-ups.
- Claimed conditions
- Lumbosacral strain
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 15, 2025
- Citation
- 25009209
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,240 · Granted: 28% (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 25009209.
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 claims for an initial disability rating in excess of 10 percent for the lumbar spine disability prior to October 11, 2022 and since December 1, 2022. The Veteran's claim is currently rated at 10 percent under Diagnostic Code 5242.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's low back disability, diagnosed as degenerative arthritis and a lumbosacral strain, is at least as likely as not related to his active service. As such, the claim for service connection is granted.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to a deficiency in the April 2024 VA medical examination, specifically regarding passive range of motion testing for pain.
- Granted
The Veteran's lumbar disorder, diagnosed as DDD and a lumbosacral strain, has been granted service connection. The Board found that the disability is related to his military service.
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