The Board remands the issue of service connection for lumbar degenerative disc disease to correct a duty to assist error and obtain additional evidence.
The deciding factor: Remand is required due to an inadequate medical opinion and unobtained treatment records, which could reasonably aid in substantiating the Veteran's claim.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbar degenerative disc disease (DDD)
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 30, 2025
- Citation
- A25048129
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 claims for increased ratings for lumbar degenerative disc disease, left and right knee strain with tendinitis, and gastroesophageal reflux disease. The TDIU claim was dismissed.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for lumbar degenerative arthritis, lumbar DDD, lumbosacral strain, and lumbar IVDS, as well as an increased rating of 50 percent from December 29, 2006 for the right fourth metacarpal fracture.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including a neck condition, right knee condition, lumbar degenerative disc disease, and ankle disabilities, as there was no evidence linking them to the Veteran's active-duty service. The claim for balanitis xerotica obliterans is remanded.
- Granted
The Board granted an effective date of July 31, 2012, for the award of service connection for lumbar DDD and bilateral extremity radiculopathy.
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