The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and TDIU are being remanded due to the need for additional examinations to comply with the requirements of Correia v. McDonald.
The deciding factor: The VA spine examination(s) were not conducted in accordance with the specifications set forth in Correia, necessitating further evaluation.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative disc disease (DDD) of the lumbar spine with herniation at L4-5 and L5-S1, Sciatica of the left lower extremity, Sciatica of the right lower extremity, Degenerative joint disease (DJD) due to post-surgical residuals to the right knee, DJD of the left wrist with decreased motion
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 13, 2018
- Citation
- 18157580
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 18157580.
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 remands the claims for service connection for a low back disability and sciatica of both lower extremities, to include as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected foot and knee disabilities, due to pre-decisional duty to assist errors.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed the Veteran's appeals for service connection for various conditions due to untimely filing of a Notice of Disagreement.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including anxiety and several musculoskeletal issues. The Veteran's claims were not supported by the evidence of record.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's low back condition and sciatica of both lower extremities, finding that these conditions are related to his military service.
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