The Board has remanded the claim for a back disability due to insufficient medical evidence and potential errors in previous examinations. The Veteran's current conditions are being evaluated further by VA.
The deciding factor: The examiner needs to determine if any of the diagnosed back conditions, including congenital defects or diseases, were related to service, especially lifting a heavy missile component during active duty.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative disc disease at L4-L5, Vertebral spondylosis, Bulging intervertebral discs at multiple levels, Annular tear of the intervertebral disc at L5-S1, Multilevel spondylosis and degeneration, Lumbarization of S1 vertebral body
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 10, 2020
- Citation
- 20078114
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 20078114.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for increased ratings for degenerative disc disease at L4-L5 and radiculopathy of the sciatic and femoral nerves was granted, with specific ratings assigned. The Veteran also received a TDIU determination prior to December 23, 2016.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for an increased evaluation for degenerative disc disease at L4-L5 and associated radiculopathies due to incomplete examination findings. The Veteran is also being asked to provide a TDIU determination based on his service-connected disabilities.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for increased evaluations and initial compensable evaluations for his service-connected degenerative disc disease at L4-L5, associated radiculopathies of the sciatic nerve in both lower extremities, and femoral nerves in both lower extremities are being remanded due to inadequate VA examination findings. The TDIU claim is also being remanded as it is intertwined with these issues.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for increased evaluations and initial compensable evaluations for degenerative disc disease at L4-L5, associated radiculopathies, and TDIU due to service-connected disability. The Veteran is also required to provide clarification on his intention regarding the TDIU claim.
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