The Board remands the claim for service connection for a lumbar spine disc herniation to the RO via the AMC for VCAA notice and a VA orthopedic evaluation.
The deciding factor: The appellant's back disorder may be related to his military service, as suggested by a private medical opinion, necessitating further development.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbar spine disc herniation
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 18, 2009
- Citation
- 0905834
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,435 · Granted: 22% (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 0905834.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied increased evaluations for lumbar spine disc herniation, right lower extremity radiculopathy, and left lower extremity radiculopathy as the evidence did not support ratings higher than 20 percent.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his thoracolumbar and cervical spine disabilities are being remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions regarding muscle spasms.
- Denied
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and TDIU were denied. The rating in excess of 40 percent for lumbar spine disc herniation and degenerative joint disease, as well as the ratings in excess of 20 percent for left and right lower extremity lumbar radiculopathy, are all denied.,The Veteran's claim for TDIU was granted. The evidence shows that his service-connected disabilities prevented him from performing the physical acts required for employment.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for payment or reimbursement of beneficiary travel expenses associated with dental treatment to and from the VAMC in West Haven, Connecticut is denied as he was not entitled to such payments due to VA regulations requiring reimbursement from his points of entry into the United States.
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