The Board remands the claim for an initial rating greater than 10 percent for lumbosacral strain with degenerative arthritis to cure a pre-decisional duty to assist error and address additional evidence.
The deciding factor: Remand is necessary to determine the severity of the Veteran's low back disability symptoms while discounting the ameliorative effects of medication, as required by Jones v. Shinseki, 26 Vet. App. 56 (2012).
- Claimed conditions
- lumbosacral strain with degenerative arthritis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 12, 2025
- Citation
- A25042483
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 Board denied the Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for service connection for lumbosacral strain with degenerative arthritis due to a clear and unmistakable error in a July 1981 rating decision.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for an earlier effective date, a higher rating for tinnitus, and service connection for various conditions, including knees and hips.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for an increased rating for a lumbar disability due to an inadequate VA examination.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for a rating in excess of 20 percent for cervical spine degenerative arthritis and disc disease with IVDS, radiculopathy of the RUE, LUE, lumbosacral strain with degenerative arthritis, LLE, and RLE.
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