The Board remands the claim for service connection of degenerative disc disease, intervertebral disc syndrome, and degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine to obtain further evidence regarding the Veteran's periods of ACDUTRA during 2005 and 2006, private chiropractic treatment records, and an adequate VA opinion.
The deciding factor: The remand is necessary due to a lack of verification of the Veteran's periods of ACDUTRA, missing National Guard treatment records, and inadequate VA opinions regarding both direct and secondary service connection theories.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative disc disease, intervertebral disc syndrome, Degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 4, 2025
- Citation
- A25031213
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 appeal for an increased rating for left hip, the claims for entitlement to an earlier effective date and an increased rating for right knee strain, and the appeal for an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for left shoulder strain were dismissed. The claim for a 40 percent rating from June 24, 2021 for degenerative disc disease was granted.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a lumbar spine disability as secondary to a cervical spine disability due to an inadequate medical opinion.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 40 percent for lumbosacral strain, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on either incapacitating episodes or unfavorable ankylosis.
- Dismissed
The veteran's appeal for an earlier effective date for service connection back disorder, as due to clear and unmistakable error (CUE), was dismissed because the appeal request was not timely filed.
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