The Board remands the appeal for further development to address deficiencies in a recent VA examination and to comply with caselaw regarding the evaluation of musculoskeletal disabilities.
The deciding factor: Further medical findings are needed due to deficiencies in the prior VA examination, including failure to provide required findings on pain during weight-bearing status and the exact degree of movement at which pain limits motion. Additionally, the Board must address the ameliorative effects of the Veteran's medication(s) as per Ingram v. Collins.
- Claimed conditions
- Lumbar spine strain, with a bulging disc at L5-S1 producing mild left neural foramina stenosis and an L4-L5 bulging disc
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 19, 2025
- Citation
- 25014158
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,455 · Granted: 23% (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 25014158.
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
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.