The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development, including obtaining updated VA treatment records and scheduling the Veteran for a VA examination to assess his service-connected degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine with intervertebral disc syndrome. The claims are also remanded for an opinion on whether he has any acquired psychiatric disability related to service or aggravated by his service-connected condition.
The deciding factor: The appeal is not ready for decision as additional development, including obtaining updated VA treatment records and scheduling a VA examination, is required to properly adjudicate the Veteran's claims.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative Joint Disease of the Lumbar Spine with Intervertebral Disc Syndrome, Acquired Psychiatric Disability (to include Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Depression and Anxiety), Flat Feet
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 13, 2015
- Citation
- 1510644
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 1510644.
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 the veteran's claims for increased ratings for erectile dysfunction, epilepsy, bowel dysfunction, and degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine with intervertebral disc syndrome.
- Granted
The Veteran's lumbar spine disability is currently rated at 20 percent, and the Board has remanded for further development regarding a higher rating.,Service connection for neck arthritis and depression as secondary to service-connected lumbar spine disability has been granted.
- Denied
PTSD, a back condition, and flat feet were not granted service connection prior to October 22, 2008.,The Veteran's claims for these conditions were submitted after the one-year period following separation from active duty.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the appeal due to additional evidence being added to the claims file after the issuance of the October 2020 supplemental statement of case.
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