Citation Nr: 0003084	
Decision Date: 02/08/00    Archive Date: 02/15/00

DOCKET NO.  98-16 013A	)	DATE
	)
	)

On appeal from the
Department of Veterans Affairs Regional Office in No. Little 
Rock, Arkansas


THE ISSUES

1.  Entitlement to service connection for lumbar disc 
disease, spondylosis, and spondylolisthesis.

2.  Entitlement to a compensable evaluation for residuals, 
right knee injury.


REPRESENTATION

Appellant represented by:	James W. Stanley, Jr., 
attorney


WITNESS AT HEARINGS ON APPEAL

Appellant



ATTORNEY FOR THE BOARD

A. P. Simpson, Associate Counsel


REMAND

The appellant served on active duty from August 1974 to 
August 1977 and from November 1990 to May 1991.

This case comes before the Board of Veterans' Appeals (the 
Board) on appeal from a July 1996 rating decision of the 
North Little Rock, Arkansas, Department of Veterans Affairs 
(VA) Regional Office (RO).  

To ensure full compliance with due process requirements, the 
case is REMANDED to the RO for the following development:

1.  The RO should schedule a Travel Board 
hearing.

2.  The parties are informed that they 
are under an obligation to establish a 
well-grounded claim for service 
connection.  If there is competent 
evidence that relates the lumbar disorder 
to service or a service-connected 
disability, that evidence must be 
submitted.

The case should be returned to the Board after compliance 
with all requisite appellate procedures.  The appellant has 
the right to submit additional evidence and argument on the 
matter or matters the Board has remanded to the regional 
office.   Kutscherousky v.  West, 12 Vet.  App.  369 (1999).

This claim must be afforded expeditious treatment by the RO.  
The law requires that all claims that are remanded by the 
Board of Veterans' Appeals or by the United States Court of 
Appeals for Veterans Claims for additional development or 
other appropriate action must be handled in an expeditious 
manner.  See The Veterans' Benefits Improvements Act of 1994, 
Pub. L. No. 103-446, § 302, 108 Stat. 4645, 4658 (1994), 
38 U.S.C.A. § 5101 (West Supp. 1999) (Historical and 
Statutory Notes).  In addition, VBA's Adjudication Procedure 
Manual, M21-1, Part IV, directs the ROs to provide 
expeditious handling of all cases that have been 
remanded by the Board and the Court.  See M21-1, Part IV, 
paras. 8.44-8.45 and 38.02-38.03.



		
	H. N. SCHWARTZ
	Member, Board of Veterans' Appeals

Under 38 U.S.C.A. § 7252 (West 1991 & Supp. 1999), only a 
decision of the Board of Veterans' Appeals is appealable to 
the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims.  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.  38 C.F.R. § 20.1100(b) (1999).