The veteran is seeking service connection for an upper back disorder that he believes was caused by his service-connected left arm disability. The RO has denied this claim, and the case is being remanded to allow for a new examination and opinion.
The deciding factor: The decision is based on conflicting medical opinions regarding the relationship between the veteran's service-connected left arm disability and his current upper back disorder.
- Claimed conditions
- upper back disorder
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 9, 2006
- Citation
- 0613438
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,592 · Granted: 19% (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 0613438.
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 determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection for low back and upper back disorders require further examination to determine their etiology.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for a low back disorder but denied service connection for an upper back disorder.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for a VA examination to address service connection and rating issues.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for anxiety, depression, headaches, a neck disorder, an upper back disorder, a lower back disorder, and a left arm disorder as there was no evidence of current disabilities during the appeal period.
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