The Veteran's claim for payment or reimbursement of private medical expenses at a non-VA facility is being remanded because the treatment was related to his service-connected lumbosacral spine condition.
The deciding factor: The treatment was rendered for an adjudicated service-connected disability, and thus should be handled under different regulations.
- Claimed conditions
- degenerative disc disease of the lumbosacral spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 2, 2019
- Citation
- 19124655
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 granted an earlier effective date for tinnitus to September 23, 2020 and denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss, GERD, hypothyroidism, neck disability, PTSD, acquired psychiatric disorder, degenerative disc disease of the lumbosacral spine, and osteoarthritis.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a low back condition, including lumbosacral strain, degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine, degenerative arthritis of the thoracic spine, degenerative disc disease of the lumbosacral spine, and left and right lower extremity radiculopathy.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for VR&E services due to his service-connected disabilities not meeting the threshold requirements of having an employment handicap, and therefore, he is not in need of rehabilitation.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew their appeals for higher initial disability ratings in October 2017, and the Board has dismissed these appeals.
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