The Veteran is seeking an increased rating for his service connected lumbar spine disability, but the records of potential VA treatment have not been obtained and a VA examination is needed to assess the current severity of his condition.
The deciding factor: The decision was remanded due to incomplete medical records and the need for a VA examination to determine the current severity of the Veteran's lumbar spine disability.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbar spine myofascial pain syndrome, L2-3 radiculopathy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 26, 2018
- Citation
- 18145375
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 18145375.
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 lumbar disability is currently rated at 40 percent, and the Board denied an increased rating. The claim for TDIU was also denied.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for increased ratings for various service-connected conditions due to inadequate evaluations.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for increased ratings due to incomplete records and the need for further VA examinations.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the issues of entitlement to ratings in excess of 10 percent for lumbar spine myofascial pain syndrome, right lower extremity sacroiliitis with piriformis syndrome, left lower extremity sacroiliitis with piriformis syndrome, and anemia. The Veteran is required to undergo further VA examinations to determine the current severity of these conditions.
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