The Board remands the case to obtain another VA examination that includes passive range of motion findings for a more accurate assessment of the severity of the service-connected lumbar spine disability.
The deciding factor: The December 2019 VA examination did not provide passive range of motion measurements, and the Veteran's report of back flareups within one year of the claim on appeal requires further evaluation.
- Claimed conditions
- degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine with intervertebral disc syndrome (IVDS)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 3, 2025
- Citation
- A25095180
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,199 · Granted: 25% (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 A25095180.
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 and remanded several issues, including service connection for stomach pain.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for sinusitis and increased the ratings for degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine with IVDS, left ankle sprain, and left lower extremity radiculopathy to 20 percent.
- Denied
The Board denied a compensable rating for the service-connected tenia pedis and onychomycosis bilateral feet, denied earlier effective dates for increased ratings and service connection, and remanded several claims for further development.
- Dismissed
The appeal is dismissed due to the Veteran's death during the pendency of the appeal.
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