The Board has remanded the claims for increased rating for low back disability and total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities (TDIU) because they are inextricably intertwined. The RO must review these claims in light of all evidence presented, including newly obtained VA examinations.
The deciding factor: The issues are inextricably intertwined and require further development before a final decision can be made.
- Claimed conditions
- low back disability (previously characterized as low back strain), right and left hip strain, right and left lower extremities radiculopathy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 10, 2019
- Citation
- 19102901
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 Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including unspecified anxiety disorder with insomnia, anorexia, and bulimia, headaches, lumbosacral strain, right and left hip strain, and vertigo, have prevented her from securing and maintaining substantially gainful occupation.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for special monthly compensation (SMC) based on loss of use due to several lower extremity disabilities, as no effective function remains other than that which would be equally well served by an amputation stump with a prosthesis.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the cause of the Veteran's death and whether VA negligence in providing medical care contributed to his death. The appellant is seeking service connection for the cause of her husband’s death, which was caused by a combination of diabetes mellitus type II, hypertension, and other conditions related to his service-connected disabilities.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, effective from the date of the February 2025 rating decision.
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