The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for degenerative arthritis of the lumbosacral spine and radiculopathy of the left leg due to incomplete documentation and need for further examination.
The deciding factor: The decision is based on the need for additional evidence and a new VA examination to properly assess the severity of the Veteran's conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative arthritis of the lumbosacral spine, Radiculopathy of the left leg
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 22, 2018
- Citation
- 18113593
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 18113593.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded two issues: entitlement to a disability rating in excess of 20 percent prior to March 23, 2009 for degenerative arthritis of the lumbosacral spine and entitlement to an extraschedular disability rating for the same condition. The Veteran is asked to provide lay statements from individuals who have observed his symptoms during flare-ups and without medication. A retrospective medical opinion is needed to assess the severity of his condition prior to March 23, 2009.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection are being remanded due to the inadequacy of the October 2019 VA examination reports.,The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection are being remanded due to the inadequacy of the October 2019 VA examination reports.,The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection are being remanded due to the inadequacy of the September 2019 VA medical opinions.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for a psychiatric disorder is being remanded based on new military personnel records showing his deployment to Panama and Honduras.,The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to inadequate VA examination reports related to ankle disabilities.,The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to inadequate VA examination reports related to ankle disabilities.,The Veteran's claim for service connection is being remanded due to inadequate VA examination report.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have prevented him from engaging in substantially gainful employment since December 13, 2010.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an initial rating of 40 percent for degenerative arthritis of the lumbosacral spine, but denied higher ratings for left and right lower extremity radiculopathy.
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