The Board has remanded the Veteran's claim for a higher rating for her service-connected lumbar spine disability due to insufficient evidence in the record regarding the severity of her condition.
The deciding factor: The most recent VA examination was conducted over five years ago, and no updated medical records have been provided to support an increased evaluation.
- Claimed conditions
- Adjustment Disorder, Lumbar Spine Disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 28, 2023
- Citation
- 23062749
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 23062749.
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 Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for adjustment disorder and hearing loss, finding that there was no evidence of in-service onset or relationship to military service.
- Denied
The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is rated as noncompensable prior to August 19, 2024 and at a 20% rating since that date.,The Veteran's depressive disorder is rated as 30% prior to December 1, 2022 and at a 40% rating since that date.,The Veteran's lumbar spine disability is rated as 20% prior to December 1, 2022 and at a 40% rating since that date.,The Veteran's left lower extremity sciatic nerve radiculopathy is rated as 10% prior to August 3, 2024 and at a 20% rating since that date.,The Veteran's right lower extremity sciatic nerve radiculopathy is rated as 10% prior to August 3, 2024 and at a 20% rating since that date.,The Veteran's left lower extremity femoral nerve radiculopathy is rated as 20% since August 3, 2024.,The Veteran's right ankle disability is rated as 10% prior to August 27, 2024 and at a 20% rating since that date.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected adjustment disorder was not manifested by occupational and social impairment with deficiencies in most areas or total occupational and social impairment at any point during the appeal period. The criteria for entitlement to an initial rating higher than 50 percent for service-connected adjustment disorder have not been met.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to duty-to-assist errors and a need for a VA psychiatric examination.
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