The veteran's appeal is being remanded for a VA examination to determine the nature and severity of his chronic low back disorder, including whether it had its onset during service or was aggravated by service. The RO will also consider relevant regulations and case law.
The deciding factor: A thorough physical evaluation is needed to determine the current state of the veteran's spinal conditions and their relationship to service.
- Claimed conditions
- chronic low back disorder, spina bifida occulta, spondylolysis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 10, 2006
- Citation
- 0600770
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,515 · Granted: 20% (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 0600770.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran's spondylolysis was granted a 40 percent rating from November 25, 2013 to October 26, 2023. The condition resulted in forward flexion of the thoracolumbar spine being limited to 20 degrees during use over time.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for service connection for spina bifida occulta (claimed as low back condition or back) was denied because he failed to report for a required VA examination without good cause, and the criteria for direct service connection were not met.
- Denied
The Veteran's child is denied benefits under 38 U.S.C. § 1805 for spina bifida because the diagnosis of spina bifida occulta does not meet the criteria.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's attorney has withdrawn the appeal, and thus the claims for increased ratings are dismissed.
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