The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining an addendum opinion to determine the severity of the Veteran's back disability and provide range of motion results for active and passive motion in weight bearing and nonweight-bearing conditions. The effective date for service connection remains October 10, 2012.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the prior VA examinations were inadequate and remanded to obtain a new addendum opinion from an appropriate clinician.
- Claimed conditions
- sacroiliac joint degenerative arthritis, lumbar disc herniation L5-S1, degenerative arthritis, lumbar disc herniation
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 18, 2026
- Citation
- A26014868
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 A26014868.
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 Board remands the claim for a new examination to address the Veteran's sacroiliac joint degenerative arthritis, lumbar disc herniation L5-S1, and degenerative arthritis, thoracolumbar spine disability due to an inadequate pre-decisional examination.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for low back disabilities, tinnitus, and remanded other issues due to the need for additional development.
- Granted
The Board granted an initial 20 percent rating for the Veteran's service-connected lumbar spine strain and sacroiliac joint degenerative arthritis, effective March 29, 2019.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's low back disability is being remanded for a new examination to assess its current severity, as the April 2016 VA examination did not include passive range of motion measurements or weight-bearing testing.
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