The Veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 20 percent for degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine with sciatica is being remanded due to outstanding development needed, including obtaining updated treatment records and addressing whether any spinal surgeries since June 2013 required convalescence.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner did not address whether any spinal surgeries since June 2013 required convalescence as requested in the April 2018 remand instructions.
- Claimed conditions
- degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine with sciatica
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 30, 2020
- Citation
- 20008131
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.
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