The Board has remanded the case for additional development to determine if the Veteran needs regular aid and attendance due to his service-connected low back disability. The Veteran is currently service connected for recurrent lumbosacral strain with degenerative disc disease, but the VA examiner's findings are inadequate for a reasoned determination.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner did not specifically address how the Veteran's lumbar disorder affects his ability to perform functions of self-care, as needed in a claim for SMC.
- Claimed conditions
- recurrent lumbosacral strain with degenerative disc disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 30, 2013
- Citation
- 1314212
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 1314212.
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 Veteran's claim for special monthly compensation based on the need for aid and attendance or housebound status is being remanded due to outstanding VA and private treatment records, SSA records, and a need for an examination.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected coronary artery disease, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the severity of his condition.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected musculoligamentous strain, right knee, is currently rated at 10 percent and the Board finds that a higher rating is not warranted.
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