The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for additional development due to procedural issues and insufficient evidence regarding his lumbar spine disability. The TDIU claim is also being remanded as it is inextricably intertwined with the increased rating claim.
The deciding factor: There are insufficient medical opinions available from previous VA examinations to determine the extent of the Veteran's lumbar spine disability during the periods on appeal.
- Claimed conditions
- chronic orthopedic manifestations of lumbar spine anterolistheses of L4-S1 with facet degenerative changes of L3-L4 thru L5-S1
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 24, 2022
- Citation
- 22048194
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 22048194.
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 initial claim for service-connected low back disability was granted, and he received a 10% rating. The VA increased the rating to 40% effective February 25, 2014, based on his current symptoms. He also received separate ratings for associated lumbar radiculopathy of each lower extremity (RLE and LLE).
- 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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