The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for increased ratings and TDIU due to inadequate medical opinions regarding his back disability, as well as a need for additional information on his unemployability claim.
The deciding factor: The VA examinations did not adequately address the Veteran's reported symptoms of flare-ups and muscle spasms, which are relevant to determining the severity of his service-connected low back disorder.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative Joint Disease, Lumbar Spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 12, 2026
- Citation
- 26000408
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 26000408.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for an increased disability rating for his degenerative joint disease, lumbar spine is remanded due to the inadequacy of the August 2020 VA examination report and the need for current range of motion testing that disregards the ameliorative effects of his medications.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection related to degenerative joint disease, lumbar spine, lumbar canal stenosis; right knee condition; left knee condition; right shoulder condition; and neck pain are remanded due to duty-to-assist errors.
- Dismissed
The appeal for an increased rating for degenerative joint disease, lumbar spine, is dismissed.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for his degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine was denied as there were no incapacitating episodes or unfavorable ankylosis during the past year.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.