The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining medical records and providing VCAA notice. The veteran's claim for an increased rating for his service-connected degenerative arthritis of the lumbosacral spine is being reviewed, as well as his intertwined claim for service connection for degenerative disc disease of the lumbosacral spine.
The deciding factor: The case was remanded due to procedural issues and the need for additional development under the VCAA.
- Claimed conditions
- degenerative arthritis of the lumbosacral spine, degenerative disc disease of the lumbosacral spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 18, 2004
- Citation
- 0407174
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 0407174.
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.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for left shoulder degenerative arthritis, right shoulder degenerative arthritis, and degenerative arthritis of the lumbosacral spine. The rating for the Veteran's service-connected traumatic arthritis of the right wrist/arm was restored to 20 percent effective June 1, 2024.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an earlier effective date for tinnitus to September 23, 2020 and denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss, GERD, hypothyroidism, neck disability, PTSD, acquired psychiatric disorder, degenerative disc disease of the lumbosacral spine, and osteoarthritis.
- Partly granted
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 10 percent for right lower extremity radiculopathy, sciatic nerve involvement and remanded the claim for a rating in excess of 40 percent for degenerative arthritis of the lumbosacral spine.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remanded all issues to address a duty-to-assist error and locate missing private treatment records.
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