The veteran is seeking service connection for a chronic acquired low back disorder that he claims is secondary to his service-connected left leg and foot disabilities. He also seeks an increased evaluation for his service-connected left leg and foot disability. The case must be remanded for further development, including obtaining medical opinions regarding the relationship between the claimed disorders and the veteran's service-connected conditions.
The deciding factor: The Board has determined that additional development is needed to address the secondary service connection claim and to obtain a comprehensive evaluation of the veteran's current low back disorder status.
- Claimed conditions
- chronic acquired low back disorder
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 5, 2004
- Citation
- 0408728
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 999 · Granted: 31% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 0408728.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case for further development, including VA examinations to determine if any chronic acquired low back and bilateral hip disorders are related to service or service-connected disabilities.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for his chronic acquired low back disorder and for an earlier effective date for TDIU.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased rating, secondary service connection, and direct service connection for his ankle disorders. The evidence did not support granting any of these claims.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the veteran's bilateral pes planus, chronic acquired low back disorder, and hypertension are all service-connected as direct results of his active duty service. The claims for secondary service connection were not granted.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.