The Board remands the matter for an eighth time to obtain a retrospective medical opinion regarding the severity of the Veteran's service-connected lower back condition from June 2008 to the present, in compliance with Stegall v. West.
The deciding factor: The previous VA examinations and opinions did not adequately address the required elements as per Board directives, leading to an inadequate assessment of the Veteran's disability rating.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbar intervertebral disc syndrome with degenerative arthritis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 7, 2025
- Citation
- 25012575
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 896 · Granted: 51% (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 25012575.
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 Veteran's claims for increased ratings and earlier effective dates for PTSD, back disability, right hip disability, right knee disability, left knee disability, and right ankle disability are being remanded due to the need for additional VA examinations.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for additional development due to inadequate VA medical opinions. The claims include increased rating and TDIU issues related to lower back condition and left lower extremity sensory deficit.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for right knee degenerative arthritis prior to November 30, 2017 was denied as the evidence did not show flexion limited to 45 degrees or less, or by extension limited to 10 degrees or more.,The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for lumbar intervertebral disc syndrome with degenerative arthritis prior to July 6, 2018 and since October 1, 2018 was denied as the evidence did not show flexion limited to 45 degrees or less, or by extension limited to 10 degrees or more.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected lumbar intervertebral disc syndrome with degenerative arthritis is manifested by pain with muscle spasm productive of guarding severe enough to lead to an abnormal gait, warranting a 20 percent rating.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.