The Board remands the claims for a disability rating in excess of 10 percent prior to May 31, 2023, and in excess of 20 percent thereafter for low back disability, as well as entitlement to special monthly compensation (SMC) under the provisions of 38 U.S.C. § 1114(s), due to a need for further development.
The deciding factor: The Board finds that an examination is warranted to determine whether the Veteran's reported low back symptoms showed evidence of functional loss to support a higher evaluation, and to address the ameliorative effects of medication with regards to the Veteran's service-connected low back disability.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative disease of the thoracolumbar spine with thoracic scoliosis (low back disability)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 4, 2025
- Citation
- 25013628
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,170 · Granted: 38% (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 25013628.
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 Veteran's low back disability is rated at 20 percent, and his left lower extremity radiculopathy is rated at 10 percent. The claims for higher ratings are denied.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected coronary artery disease, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the severity of his condition.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected musculoligamentous strain, right knee, is currently rated at 10 percent and the Board finds that a higher rating is not warranted.
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