The veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including a new VA examination to assess the current nature and severity of his service-connected low back strain with disc bulge.
The deciding factor: The Board determined that the last VA medical examination was from over four years ago and did not provide sufficient information to rate the veteran's disability under the revised criteria. The examiner also did not indicate loss of flexion in degrees or the frequency, severity, and duration of intermittent flare-ups.
- Claimed conditions
- low back strain with disc bulge
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 14, 2004
- Citation
- 0433003
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 0433003.
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 has remanded three issues related to the Veteran's service-connected low back strain with disc bulge, sciatica of left lower extremity, and sciatica of right lower extremity due to inadequate examination and need for updated treatment records.
- 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.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected musculoligamentous strain, right knee, is currently rated at 10 percent and the Board finds that a higher rating is not warranted.
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