The Veteran's claims are being remanded for additional development, including obtaining VA and private treatment records, scheduling a VA examination to assess the severity of his thoracolumbar spine disability, and issuing a Statement of the Case regarding the earlier effective date claim.
The deciding factor: The Board finds that further development is necessary due to the need for updated medical evidence, an appropriate VA examination, and issuance of a Statement of the Case.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative disc disease (DDD) of the thoracolumbar spine, Lumbar radiculopathy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 12, 2014
- Citation
- 1454786
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 1454786.
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 service connection for DDD and central canal stenosis of the lumbar spine, finding that the appellant's current disability is at least as likely caused by his in-service injury.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's request to extend his delimiting date for Chapter 33 education benefits, finding that he did not provide sufficient evidence of a physical or mental disability preventing him from initiating a program of education within one year of his May 2020 extension request.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for increased ratings for his lumbar spine disability and left lower extremity radiculopathy was denied as the evidence did not show any additional functional loss or impairment beyond what is already accounted for by the current rating.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to incomplete records and inadequate VA opinions. The Veteran's thoracolumbar spine disorder, psychiatric disorder (including PTSD), and hypertension are all being reviewed.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.