The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for his lumbar spine disability is being remanded due to incomplete records and the need for additional examinations.
The deciding factor: Incomplete medical records and the need for further examination are preventing proper evaluation of the Veteran's condition.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative joint disease of L5-S1
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 21, 2016
- Citation
- 1616097
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 1616097.
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 back brace used for his service-connected degenerative joint disease of L5-S1 and lumbar myositis caused wear or tear to his clothing in 2001. The Board granted an annual clothing allowance for the back brace but denied one for Canadian crutches, as there is no evidence of their use.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining updated VA and private medical records and scheduling a new examination. The TDIU claim is also inextricably intertwined with the issues being remanded.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected coronary artery disease, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the severity of his condition.
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