The Board has remanded the claims for higher ratings for intervertebral disc syndrome of the left and right lower extremities, as well as for degenerative joint disease of the lumbosacral spine with herniated nucleus pulposus. Additionally, the TDIU claim prior to August 11, 2009 is also remanded.
The deciding factor: The Board found that further development was needed due to previous remand directives not being substantially complied with and because of the need for an examination regarding the severity of the Veteran's back disability and right and lower extremity intervertebral disc syndrome.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative Joint Disease of the lumbosacral spine with herniated nucleus pulposus, Intervertebral disc syndrome of the left lower extremity, Intervertebral disc syndrome of the right lower extremity
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 8, 2019
- Citation
- 19125745
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,084 · Granted: 20% (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 19125745.
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.
- Denied
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for thoracolumbar spine degenerative disc disease with intervertebral disc syndrome and intervertebral disc syndrome of the right lower extremity were denied as there was no evidence to support a higher rating based on the current manifestations of these conditions.
- Denied
The Board found that the Veteran's death was not caused by any service-connected disability, and thus denied the claim for service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death.
- Denied
The Veteran's stroke is not considered to be due to VA care, treatment or examination. The Board finds that the event was reasonably foreseeable.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for a total disability evaluation based on individual unemployability (TDIU) was granted effective January 6, 2011. The criteria for TDIU were met as the Veteran's service-connected disabilities rendered him unable to work at his previous job due to health issues.
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