The Board remands the claims for service connection for a lumbar spine disorder and left shoulder disorder as new evidence has been received since previous denials.
The deciding factor: Additional medical opinions are needed to address whether any current disorders are congenital defects or diseases, and if not, whether they are related to the Veteran's military service.
- Claimed conditions
- Lumbar spine disorder, Left shoulder disorder
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 9, 2025
- Citation
- A25042229
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 initial ratings of 40 percent for lumbar spine disorder, 70 percent for major depressive disorder, and 40 percent for left lower extremity radiculopathy. TDIU and SMC based on housebound status were also granted.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, a right knee disorder, and a lumbar spine disorder.
- Partly granted
The appeal was denied for service connection of a cervical spine disorder, and several claims were remanded for further development.
- Denied
The Board denied a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) prior to July 1, 2015, and from January 10, 2017, as well as an effective date earlier than July 1, 2015, for the award of Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA) benefits.
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