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.
The deciding factor: The Veteran did not appear at his scheduled examination without good cause, and therefore a new examination is needed.
- Claimed conditions
- L5-S1 degenerative disc disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- October 18, 2019
- Citation
- 19179596
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,480 · Granted: 26% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed 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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 19179596.
What this means for you
A remand sends an issue back for more development, often a new examination or missing records. It does not award the benefit or decide the final outcome. The original decision explains the additional work ordered.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: 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.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has found that the VA medical opinions are inadequate and remands the case for additional examinations to address the etiology of the Veteran's claimed conditions, including L5-S1 and C3-C7 degenerative disc disease, lumbar scoliosis, lumbar spondylosis/osteoarthritis, and spinal cord impingement.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has restored service connection for lumbosacral strain, effective July 1, 2018. The Veteran's current lumbar spine condition is now considered to be L5-S1 degenerative disc disease.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to an inadequate VA examination, requiring a new one that addresses the Veteran's lay statements and detailed clinical history.
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