The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including new VA examinations to assess the severity of his lumbar and cervical spine disabilities.
The deciding factor: The Board finds that the current evidence does not provide sufficient information on the extent of the Veteran's service-connected lumbar and cervical spine disabilities. Therefore, further examination is required to determine their current severity.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbar spondylosis with degenerative changes, cervical spondylosis with degenerative changes
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 25, 2017
- Citation
- 1729244
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 1729244.
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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew his appeal, and the Board dismissed it due to lack of allegations of errors in fact or law.
- Denied
The Veteran's lumbar spine disability is currently rated at 30 percent, but the evidence does not support a higher rating.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected lumbar spondylosis with degenerative changes and right lumbar radiculopathy do not meet the threshold schedular criteria for a finding of total disability based upon individual unemployability (TDIU) due to his service-connected disabilities alone. The Board finds that he is not unemployable due solely to service-connected disabilities, as he retains some functional occupational capacity sufficient to obtain and retain gainful work.
- Granted
The Board has granted a TDIU rating, effective from May 5, 1999.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.