The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for his lumbar spine disability is being remanded due to the need for a new VA examination and the request for additional private treatment records.
The deciding factor: The claim requires further evaluation as evidence suggests that the condition has worsened since the last examination, necessitating a new assessment.
- Claimed conditions
- traumatic arthritis of the lumbar spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 10, 2018
- Citation
- 18125661
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 18125661.
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
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and TDIU were denied due to his failure to report for VA examinations, and the claim for TDIU was considered abandoned.
- Denied
The Veteran's application for total disability based on individual unemployability (TDIU) was granted effective August 1, 2016. The Board denied an earlier effective date prior to this date.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for increased ratings and TDIU has been dismissed as he is already receiving the maximum combined rating for his service-connected disabilities.
- Granted
The Board's decision was vacated due to a failure to fully comply with the Veteran's FOIA request for copies of prior VA examinations.
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