The Board has determined that additional development is needed for the Veteran's claims related to his lumbar spine and right femur disabilities. The case will be remanded for further development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling examinations.
The deciding factor: The Board found that there are outstanding VA treatment records and missed VA examinations which need to be addressed before a final decision can be made on the Veteran's claims.
- Claimed conditions
- Multi-level lumbar spine degenerative change, Disk bulges at L2, Disk extrusion at L4-5, Facet arthropathy, Central canal stenosis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 13, 2023
- Citation
- 23009180
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 23009180.
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.
- Denied
The Veteran's cervical spine disability is currently rated at 30 percent, but the Board denied an increased rating as his condition did not meet the criteria for a higher rating based on range of motion and functional loss.
- Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's request to reopen his service connection claim for congenital cervical spinal canal stenosis, multilevel cervical spondylosis, degenerative disc disease (DDD), and facet arthropathy. The appeal is remanded due to the need for a VA examination to determine if these conditions are related to the Veteran's active duty service as a pilot.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient medical opinion regarding the relationship between the Veteran's current back disability and his service. The case will be returned for further development.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for an increased rating for his lumbar spine disability was dismissed as the Veteran withdrew the appeal prior to a decision being made.
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