The Veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 20 percent for degenerative changes L3/ L4 of the lumbar spine was denied. The Board also remanded her TDIU claim prior to March 27, 2019 due to incomplete records and instructed VA to refer the matter to the Director of Compensation Service for extraschedular consideration.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for her lumbar spine disability was denied as there were no findings indicating forward flexion of less than 30 degrees or favorable ankylosis. The TDIU claim prior to March 27, 2019 was remanded due to incomplete records and the need for extraschedular consideration.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative changes L3/L4 of the lumbar spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 2, 2019
- Citation
- 19151424
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,828 · Granted: 32% (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 19151424.
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 Veteran's claims for a higher rating for her lumbar spine disability and for TDIU due to insufficient evidence in the record. The Veteran needs to be provided with updated VA examinations to assess the severity of her disabilities, including flares.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected coronary artery disease, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the severity of his condition.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected musculoligamentous strain, right knee, is currently rated at 10 percent and the Board finds that a higher rating is not warranted.
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