The Board remands the claims for higher ratings for back, neck, and left knee disabilities due to inadequate VA examinations.
The deciding factor: The examinations did not adequately address the Veteran's reports of flare-ups and the effects of medication on his range of motion.
- Claimed conditions
- Chronic cervical strain with degenerative arthritis (neck disability), Degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine (back disability), Left knee medial collateral ligament strain with degenerative arthritis (left knee disability)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 13, 2025
- Citation
- 25013931
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,341 · Granted: 33% (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 25013931.
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.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine, resolving reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a higher initial disability rating of 50 percent for the service-connected migraines and granted TDIU from February 17, 2014, to April 28, 2015, and from August 1, 2015. Service connection for a back disability was denied.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for increased ratings for back and left knee disabilities, as well as SMC at the housebound rate prior to October 29, 2018. The Veteran is required to undergo additional VA examinations and a determination regarding TDIU must be made.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for increased disability ratings and service connection were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support higher ratings for his back disability or lower left extremity radiculopathy, and remanded some of his claims due to inadequate VA examinations.
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