The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for his lumbosacral disability is remanded due to the need for additional development. The issue of service connection for lower extremity neurological disability related to his service-connected back disability has also been referred to the RO and needs to be resolved before final adjudication.
The deciding factor: The issues are inextricably intertwined, requiring resolution of both claims before a proper rating can be assigned for the lumbosacral disability.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbosacral disability, lower extremity neurological disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 10, 2018
- Citation
- 18141537
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 18141537.
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 Veteran's claims of service connection for lumbosacral and right knee disabilities due to a failure to obtain adequate secondary service connection opinions regarding these claims. The new opinions must address both causation and aggravation, considering the Veteran's theory that his current conditions are related to his service-connected right ankle disability.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for sleep apnea and remanded the issues of rating lumbosacral disability, separate ratings for radiculopathy, and other related matters.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for a left ankle disability and lumbosacral disability as there are pre-decisional duty-to-assist errors requiring further development.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for tinnitus and remanded the claims for bilateral hearing loss, a bilateral shoulder disability, and a lumbosacral disability due to insufficient evidence.
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