The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to inadequate development of his service connection claims for lumbar and cervical spine disorders, as well as the TDIU claim. The case will be returned to the Board after further examination and opinion.
The deciding factor: Further examination and medical opinions are needed to address the etiology and severity of the Veteran's lumbar and cervical spine disabilities, including whether any diagnosed conditions separate from his service-connected lumbar strain are related to service or pre-existing congenital defects that were aggravated by service.
- Claimed conditions
- multilevel degenerative disc disease (DDD) status post laminectomy L2 L4, left leg and bilateral foot radiculopathy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 9, 2016
- Citation
- 1631593
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 1631593.
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
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- 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.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected musculoligamentous strain, right knee, is currently rated at 10 percent and the Board finds that a higher rating is not warranted.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD is granted as the evidence shows a current diagnosis of PTSD, an in-service stressor, and a medical link between the two.
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