Citation Nr: 21012780 Decision Date: 03/05/21 Archive Date: 03/05/21 DOCKET NO. 15-34 925A DATE: March 5, 2021 REMANDED Entitlement to a rating in excess of 10 percent prior to June 24, 2015, and in excess of 20 percent from that date for service-connected degenerative joint disease of the lumbosacral spine (lumbar spine disability) is remanded. REASONS FOR REMAND The Veteran served in the United States Army from October 1974 until October 1994. The Board previously remanded this claim for additional development in October 2018. While the Board regrets further delay, another remand is required to fulfill VA’s duty to assist prior to adjudicating this claim. Specifically, since his last VA examination in October 2019, the Veteran has identified relevant and outstanding medical records by reporting that since his last visit to VA, he has received two radio frequency ablation treatments on his spine and a MILD (minimally invasive lumbar decompression) treatment at St. Francis Hospital in Charleston, South Carolina. See July 2020 Correspondence. These records are not included in the Veteran’s claims file for review at this time. Because the Veteran identified relevant outstanding private treatment records, a remand is required to allow VA to obtain authorization and request these records. The matters are REMANDED for the following actions: 1. Ask the Veteran to complete a VA Form 21-4142 for St. Francis Hospital in Charleston. Make two requests for the authorized records from St. Francis Hospital in Charleston, South Carolina, unless it is clear after the first request that a second request would be futile. 2. Ensure completion of the development requested above and any other development deemed necessary, and then readjudicate the Veteran’s claim. A. ISHIZAWAR Veterans Law Judge Board of Veterans’ Appeals Attorney for the Board K. Churchwell, Counsel The Board’s decision in this case is binding only with respect to the instant matter decided. This decision is not precedential and does not establish VA policies or interpretations of general applicability. 38 C.F.R. § 20.1303.