The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining private and VA treatment records and affording the Veteran a VA examination. The issues of entitlement to higher initial evaluations for the service-connected lumbar spine disability and claims for loss of teeth 8 and 9 due to trauma and a surgical scar of the lumbar spine remain in appellate status.
The deciding factor: The case is being remanded because additional development is necessary prior to final adjudication, including obtaining private treatment records and affording the Veteran a VA examination.
- Claimed conditions
- history of degenerative arthritis lumbar spine with surgical repair of herniated discs, loss of teeth 8 and 9 due to trauma, surgical scar of the lumbar spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 23, 2015
- Citation
- 1531501
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 1531501.
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 Veteran's TDIU and DEA benefits are granted from August 25, 2008. The effective date for TDIU is established based on the earliest claim of service connection for a lumbar spine disability, while the effective date for DEA benefits is set to match the TDIU grant.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew his appeal for a rating in excess of 10 percent for a surgical scar of the lumbar spine.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities (TDIU) due to incomplete information regarding the Veteran's employment and income.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder is dismissed. The Board also remanded the issues of a higher rating for right lower extremity radiculopathy and a compensable rating for surgical scar of the lumbar spine.
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