The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for a new VA examination and opinion to determine the severity of his service-connected lumbar spine disability, including any related radiculopathy. The examiner should also assess the impact of the Veteran's diminished reflexes and muscle strength on his ability to work or maintain his home.
The deciding factor: The Board requires a remand due to incomplete evaluation of the Veteran's current disability status and its effects on his daily life, necessitating further medical assessment.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative disc and degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine, Radiculopathy in the right lower extremity
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 26, 2014
- Citation
- 1408227
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 1408227.
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.
- Dismissed
The Board has dismissed the appeals regarding higher ratings for degenerative lumbar spine disease, radiculopathy in the right lower extremity, and radiculopathy in the left lower extremity. The appeal for TDIU was also dismissed.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have not rendered him unemployable or unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him unemployable or unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for an increased evaluation for degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine was denied as his disability did not meet the criteria for a higher rating.,Service connection for radiculopathy in both lower extremities was also denied, with the Board finding that there is no current evidence of such conditions.
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