The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and reduction of the initial rating are being remanded due to need for new VA examinations.,The Veteran is seeking SMC based on loss of use of upper and lower extremities, which requires a new VA examination.
The deciding factor: New evidence or clarification is needed regarding the current severity of the Veteran's disabilities as well as his ability to perform daily activities due to service-connected conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- Cervical spine degenerative disc disease, Lumbar spine degenerative disease, Lumbar radiculopathy, sciatic nerve, right lower extremity, Lumbar radiculopathy, sciatic nerve, left lower extremity
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 18, 2018
- Citation
- 18135518
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 18135518.
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.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for cervical spine degenerative disc disease, lumbar spine degenerative disc disease, left lower extremity radiculopathy, and right lower extremity radiculopathy. Service connection was denied for a groin condition.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates as they were received more than one year after her intent to file a claim, and no good cause extension was requested.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities render him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment after his last date of employment on March 30, 2018. The Board has granted a TDIU effective from March 31, 2018.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for higher ratings for cervical spine and lumbar spine disabilities are being remanded due to the need for additional VA examinations to assess the severity of these conditions.
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