The Veteran's claim for an evaluation in excess of 40 percent for disc protrusion at L5-S1 is being remanded due to the need for a VA examination as per Correia v. McDonald, 28 Vet. App. 158 (2016).
The deciding factor: The decision requires additional medical evidence and an updated evaluation of the Veteran's condition.
- Claimed conditions
- disc protrusion at L5-S1
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 4, 2019
- Citation
- 19124250
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,612 · Granted: 16% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 19124250.
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 case due to inadequate examination findings regarding the Veteran's service-connected low back disability. The Veteran needs a new VA examination to determine the current severity of his disability and provide a full description of all relevant pathology.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to an inadequate VA examination for the service-connected low back disability, and a new examination is needed to evaluate the current severity of the Veteran's condition.
- Granted
The veteran's lumbosacral strain with spasms, disc protrusion at L5-S1, and mild degenerative disc disease was granted a 40 percent evaluation effective April 26, 1993. The right patellar fracture residuals were initially evaluated as 20 percent disabling from April 14, 1998.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for lumbosacral strain with spasms, disc protrusion at L5-S1, and mild degenerative disc disease at L5-S1. The initial rating of 20% was maintained for residuals of a right patellar fracture. The TDIU claim was also granted.
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