The Board has ordered a remand to provide another orthopedic examination and clarify whether the veteran's low back disorder originated in service.
The deciding factor: The decision was previously denied, but the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims (CAVC) vacated it due to insufficient evidence. The Board is instructed to provide an additional medical opinion regarding the etiology of the veteran's low back disorder and apply the benefit of doubt standard.
- Claimed conditions
- low back disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 16, 2001
- Citation
- 0120970
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 0120970.
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.
- Dismissed
The appeal was dismissed due to the Veteran's death while it was pending.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for a low back disorder to obtain additional medical evidence and ensure that the Veteran is afforded every possible consideration.
- Dismissed
The appeal for service connection for a low back disorder was dismissed as the RO granted service connection in a November 2023 rating decision.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for a low back disorder, left lower extremity radiculopathy, right lower extremity radiculopathy, and traumatic brain injury due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error.
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