The Veteran's appeal of his claim for an increased rating for a low back disability is dismissed.,Service connection for left lower extremity radiculopathy and right lower extremity radiculopathy are granted.,The issue of service connection for type two diabetes mellitus and the acquired psychiatric condition (previously claimed as bipolar disorder, depression, and cyclothymic disorder) is remanded for additional development.,The issue of a total disability rating based on individual unemployability is also remanded.
The deciding factor: The Veteran withdrew his appeal regarding an increased rating for low back disability before the Board could make a decision.,Service connection was granted for bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy as it is directly related to service-connected spine disability and diabetic neuropathy.,New evidence is needed to determine if diabetes mellitus had its onset in service or is otherwise related to service, and whether the psychiatric condition is caused by a service-connected disability.,Additional development is required for determining if the Veteran's disabilities prevent him from obtaining or maintaining substantially gainful employment.
- Claimed conditions
- Low back disability, Type two diabetes mellitus, Acquired psychiatric condition (previously claimed as bipolar disorder, depression, and cyclothymic disorder)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 10, 2018
- Citation
- 18116774
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 18116774.
What this means for you
A dismissal means the Board did not decide the issue on its merits — usually because it was withdrawn or had become moot. It says more about procedure than about whether a claim like this can win.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a low back disability and an increased rating for his acquired psychiatric disorder. The Board found that there was no evidence linking the current disabilities to military service.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected low back disability alone does not prevent him from securing and following a substantially gainful occupation.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a low back disability and bilateral hip disability, finding that there was no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for increased disability evaluation and effective dates are being remanded due to the need for a new VA examination to address the severity of his low back disability, including whether he has experienced incapacitating episodes of IVDS.
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