The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional examination and development of records to determine if he meets the criteria for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to his service-connected lumbar spine disorder and associated radiculopathy.
The deciding factor: The claim requires further evidence and evaluation to determine if the Veteran's service-connected disabilities render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation.
- Claimed conditions
- degenerative disk disease, disk bulge at L4-5 and L5-S1, sciatic nerve damage
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 25, 2012
- Citation
- 1236955
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 1236955.
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.
- Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for lumbar strain to include thoracolumbar and lumbosacral strain, cervical spine condition, spondylosis, degenerative disk disease, and radiculopathy (spine disabilities). The Board found that these conditions are related to the Veteran's injury during his active duty.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for back pain and sciatic nerve damage as secondary to back pain due to a lack of VA examination in connection with these issues. The Veteran contends he injured his back during active service, which may be related to his current symptoms.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the service connection claim for mid-lower back pain and degenerative disk disease due to a need for an examination to determine the etiology of the disability.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings for low back disability and left lower extremity sciatica were denied. The case was remanded for further review.
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