The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine with intervertebral disc syndrome and painful surgical scars, are being remanded for further evaluation.
The deciding factor: The decision is based on the need to obtain additional medical records and schedule the Veteran for a VA examination to assess his current disability levels.
- Claimed conditions
- degenerative arthritis, lumbar spine with intervertebral disc syndrome (IVDS), painful surgical scars, surgical scar, lumbar spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 13, 2023
- Citation
- 23066095
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 23066095.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to an inadequate VA examination for rating purposes, and will need a new examination to determine the current severity of the Veteran's lumbar spine disability.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal is remanded for further development and evaluation of his claims, including verification of toxic exposure and provision of medical opinions regarding the etiology of his disabilities.
- Denied
The Board denied requests for earlier effective dates for the grants of service connection for various lower extremity radiculopathies and painful surgical scars, as well as intervertebral disc syndrome.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for SMC at the housebound rate prior to September 14, 2020 is granted. The criteria were met from August 25, 2015 onward due to his PTSD being rated as 70 percent disabling.
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