The Board granted an increased rating of 10 percent for the veteran's service-connected chronic low back pain but denied an evaluation in excess of 10 percent. The Court vacated this decision and remanded the case to the Board for further examination and consideration.
The deciding factor: The Board determined that most of the pathology of the veteran's lumbar spine was due to a post-service injury, not his service-connected disability.
- Claimed conditions
- chronic low back pain
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 15, 2001
- Citation
- 0120845
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 0120845.
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.
- Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and remanded claims for chronic low back pain, upper back pain, right hand disability, left hand disability, headaches, and right knee disability.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for multiple disabilities, including various musculoskeletal conditions and mental health disorders.
- Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for bilateral sensorineural hearing loss and remanded the claims for other conditions due to insufficient evidence.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew the appeal for service connection for chronic back pain, right lower extremity radiculopathy, and a left knee disability secondary to the service-connected right knee patellofemoral syndrome.
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