The Veteran's claim for reimbursement of private medical expenses incurred from July 11, 2006 to July 13, 2006 at Good Shepherd Medical Center is being remanded due to the need for a medical opinion regarding whether his condition was stable enough to be safely discharged or transferred.
The deciding factor: The current evidence does not clearly indicate when the Veteran's medical emergency ended during his hospitalization, and further clarification is needed from a physician.
- Claimed conditions
- L5-S1 herniated nucleus pulposus, cauda equina syndrome
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 15, 2009
- Citation
- 0918344
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 0918344.
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 the claims for service connection for lumbosacral degenerative disc disease with spinal fusion and cauda equina syndrome due to outstanding federal records from the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and Social Security Administration (SSA).
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for multiple conditions, including the lumbar spine disorder, cervical spine disorder, shoulder disorders, cauda equina syndrome, neurogenic bowel disorder, erectile dysfunction, and various radiculopathies. The dental disorder and left ankle disorder were dismissed.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded three issues: revising the 1991 and 1993 rating decisions for L5-S1 herniated nucleus pulposus, determining an earlier effective date for left lower extremity radiculopathy of the sciatic nerve, and evaluating right lower extremity radiculopathy of the sciatic nerve higher than 20 percent. The issues are inextricably intertwined with each other.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claim for additional evidentiary development, including obtaining an independent medical opinion and VA treatment records from multiple facilities.
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