The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for an initial evaluation higher than 10 percent and evaluations higher than 20 percent for his lumbar degenerative disc disease, as well as a claim for TDIU prior to November 17, 2014. The issues are being remanded due to conflicting evidence and need further clarification.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the evidence is unclear regarding the severity of the Veteran's lumbar degenerative disc disease and its manifestations over time, necessitating additional medical opinions to clarify these determinations.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbar degenerative disc disease status post decompression of L3-L4 and stabilization of L3 to L5
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 30, 2018
- Citation
- 18130758
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 18130758.
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 the case for further development due to non-compliance with previous remand directives. The Veteran's lumbar disability claims are being reviewed, and a new addendum medical opinion is required.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected lumbar degenerative disc disease status post decompression of L3-L4 and stabilization of L3 to L5 was not found to warrant higher initial evaluations from May 29, 1997 to September 25, 2003 or from September 26, 2003 to November 21, 2013.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
- 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.
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