The Board has remanded the case for further development and evaluation of the veteran's claims, including a VA examination to address the etiology of his degenerative disc disease and nicotine dependence.
The deciding factor: The Court directed that the veteran should be scheduled for a VA spine examination to determine if his degenerative disc disease is related to service or service-connected low back disability. Additionally, he should be examined by a VA physician to ascertain the etiology of his current nicotine dependence and whether it was acquired in service.
- Claimed conditions
- lung disability, degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- October 5, 2007
- Citation
- 0731614
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. Search VA.gov for the original decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 0731614.
What this means for you
A remand sends an issue back for more development, often a new examination or missing records. It does not award the benefit or decide the final outcome. The original decision explains the additional work ordered.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Veteran's hypertension, left knee patellofemoral syndrome, and right knee patellofemoral syndrome have been granted service connection as secondary to his service-connected disabilities. The lumbar spine disability has also been granted but the effective date is not specified.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to a duty to assist error, specifically regarding private medical records related to asbestos exposure and lung disability. The Veteran is requested to provide information about his private physician and for VA to obtain relevant records.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection and increased rating for various conditions, including allergic rhinitis, sleep apnea, degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine, lower extremity radiculopathies, and left lower extremity radiculopathy with foot drop. The issues include determining if these conditions are related to service or other factors.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have prevented him from securing and maintaining substantially gainful employment since June 30, 2018. The Board has granted a TDIU effective July 1, 2018.
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