The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to obtain additional medical records and to schedule him for a VA examination. The issues of increased ratings for his lumbar spine disability and right knee injury are pending.
The deciding factor: The Board finds that the current evidence does not provide sufficient information about the Veteran's treatment and condition, particularly since he reported receiving recent treatments from his primary care doctor and orthopedic surgeon. Therefore, a remand is necessary to obtain these records and schedule an examination.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbar spine degenerative joint and disc disease, residuals, right knee injury
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 4, 2016
- Citation
- 1604048
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 1604048.
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 service-connected disabilities, including lumbar spine degenerative joint and disc disease, osteoarthritis of the right hand second digit and thumb, asthma, left lower extremity radiculopathy, right lower extremity radiculopathy, hypertension, hiatal hernia with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), prostate cancer with prostatectomy, bilateral hearing loss, erectile dysfunction, right thigh residual scar, right index finger scar, and abdomen scar, have rendered him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment. As a result, the Board has granted TDIU.
- Denied
The Veteran's lumbar spine disability, which resulted in a 40 percent rating, did not meet the criteria for a higher rating as it did not result in unfavorable ankylosis of the entire thoracolumbar spine or the entire spine, or functional equivalent thereof.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings of his right knee and right ankle disabilities are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining addendum opinions from VA examiners regarding the current severity of these conditions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's TDIU claim was remanded due to issues with the Board's analysis of his educational history and work capacity. The case is now being returned for further consideration.
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