BVA9500100 
DOCKET NO.  93-02 295     )       DATE
          )
          )

On appeal from the decision of the
Department of Veterans Affairs Regional Office in Reno, Nevada

THE ISSUES

1.  Entitlement to service connection for postoperative residuals
of spinal stenosis with degenerative disc disease.

2.  Entitlement to an increased rating for residuals of a back
injury with traumatic arthritis, currently evaluated as 10
percent disabling.

REPRESENTATION

Appellant represented by: Disabled American Veterans

WITNESS AT HEARING ON APPEAL

Appellant

ATTORNEY FOR THE BOARD

Mark D. Hindin, Counsel

INTRODUCTION

The veteran had active service from February 1941 to October
1945, and from April 1946 to February 1971.  He was a prisoner of
war of the German Government.

This matter arises from a January 1991 rating decision which
denied entitlement to an increased rating for residuals of a back
injury with traumatic arthritis, and a March 1992, rating
decision in which the regional office (RO) denied entitlement to
service connection for post operative residuals of spinal
stenosis with disc disease.

The issue of restoration of a 20 percent rating for bilateral
hearing loss disability was also developed for appellate
consideration.  The RO granted restoration of the 20 percent
evaluation in a November 1991 rating decision.  The veteran has
not contended, nor has he introduced any evidence, that he is
entitled to an evaluation in excess of 20 percent currently.

REMAND

The current record contains a number of medical opinions as to
the relationship between the service connected disabilities and
spinal stenosis with intervertebral disc disease.  Some of these
opinions are vague.  All of them are flawed inasmuch as they were
based on incomplete or inaccurate histories, and were apparently
rendered without access to the veteran's claims folder.  The
Board notes parenthetically that were it to grant service
connection for spinal stenosis
with intervertebral disc disease, it would be necessary to remand
the case for reevaluation of the service connected residuals of
back injury with traumatic arthritis.  It would serve the
purposes of judicial economy and justice to afford the veteran
informed examinations to determine what, if any, relationship
exists between the claimed disability and the service connected
disabilities.

Accordingly this case is REMANDED for the following:

1.  The RO should contact the veteran and
request that he furnish information as to
any treatment he has received for the
conditions at issue in this appeal
subsequent to his most recent examination
for VA in August 1992.  The RO should then
take all necessary steps to obtain those
records and associate them with the claims
folder.

2.  The veteran should then be afforded VA
orthopedic and neurologic examinations, in
order to determine
the nature and extent of any low back
disability.
All indicated diagnostic studies and
specialized examinations should be
performed.  In order to evaluate the
disability in the context of its history,
the examiners should be provided with the
veteran's claims folder prior to the
examinations.  The examiners should express
an opinion as to the causal relationship,
if any, between the service connected left
ankle disability, residuals of
low back injury with traumatic arthritis,
or back symptomatology reported during
service; and the claimed spinal stenosis
with intervertebral disc disease, if found
to be present.

If after completion of the requested development there remain
issues on appeal, the veteran and his representative should be
furnished with a supplemental statement of the case, and be given
a reasonable opportunity to respond.  Thereafter, following
compliance with all other procedures relative to the processing
of appeals, the case should be returned to the Board for further
appellate consideration of any issue for which a valid
substantive appeal has been submitted.  No action is required of
the veteran until he receives further notice.

          LAWRENCE M. SULLIVAN

Section 6 of S. 1904, signed by the President on  ,permits a
proceeding instituted before the Board to be assigned to an
individual member of the Board for determination.  This
proceeding has been assigned to an individual member of the Board

Under 38 U.S.C.A. § 7252 (West 1991), only a decision of the
Board of Veterans' Appeals is appealable to the United States
Court of Veterans Appeals.  This remand is in the nature of a
preliminary order and does not constitute a decision of the Board
on the merits of your appeal.