The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for his service-connected lumbar spine disability is being remanded due to the need for additional testing and information regarding flare-ups.
The deciding factor: Additional medical examination is required to provide specific measurements of the Veteran's back condition, including range-of-motion findings during active and passive motion, as well as functional loss during flare-ups.
- Claimed conditions
- L2, L5-S1 degenerative disc disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 5, 2019
- Citation
- 19115941
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 19115941.
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.
- Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for several conditions but granted it for right hip disability and assigned a 20 percent rating for right knee instability. Some issues were remanded.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal for a higher rating for her L5-S1 degenerative disc disease is being remanded due to the need for additional examination and consideration of flare-ups.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for L5-S1 degenerative disc disease is being remanded due to the failure to attend a scheduled examination.
- Denied
The Board has determined that the veteran's degenerative disk disease of L4-L5 with sciatica and L5-S1 is not related to his military service, and there are no compensable residuals associated with his service-connected low back contusion. Therefore, the claims for service connection and a compensable evaluation have been denied.
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