The Veteran's appeal is remanded to obtain updated findings related to his degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine and bilateral lower extremity neuropathy, including VA treatment records and a contemporaneous VA examination. The RO must consider whether separate compensable ratings are warranted under Diagnostic Codes 5242 (for back disability) and 8520 (for right and left-sided radiculopathy or neuropathy).
The deciding factor: The Veteran's appeal is remanded to obtain updated findings related to his degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine and bilateral lower extremity neuropathy, including VA treatment records and a contemporaneous VA examination.
- Claimed conditions
- degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine, bilateral lower extremity neuropathy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 21, 2010
- Citation
- 1027187
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 1027187.
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 service connection for diabetes mellitus type II and bilateral lower extremity neuropathy, finding that the evidence did not support a causal relationship between these conditions and the Veteran's active military service.
- Dismissed
The appeal was dismissed due to the Veteran's failure to substantially comply with claims processing rules.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for sleep apnea, as there is no current disability. The issues of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine are remanded due to inadequate examination reports.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine, left shoulder, and bilateral plantar fasciitis. The appeal was also granted to reopen a claim for service connection for bilateral hip disability.
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