The veteran's claim for an increased rating for his service-connected low back disorder is being remanded due to the need to obtain additional medical records and support documentation from Social Security Administration (SSA) and the Soldier's Home in Holyoke, Massachusetts.
The deciding factor: The VA needs to obtain complete medical and vocational supporting documentation from SSA and the Soldier's Home for proper evaluation of the veteran's claim.
- Claimed conditions
- spondylolisthesis, lumbosacral spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 13, 2004
- Citation
- 0418640
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,464 · Granted: 14% (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 0418640.
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 appeal is being remanded for additional development to determine the current severity of his service-connected low back and bilateral knee disabilities, as well as any diagnosed hip disorder. The case will also be reviewed by the Director, Compensation & Pension Service, for extraschedular consideration of a total disability rating on the basis of individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for his low back disability was granted, and he is now receiving the maximum schedular rating. The effective date of service connection for PTSD has been set at December 14, 2001.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected coronary artery disease, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the severity of his condition.
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