The veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including a VA examination to address the nature and etiology of his respiratory disorder. The issues of an initial compensable rating for hiatal hernia with gastroesophageal reflux disease and an effective date earlier than April 30, 2003 for service connection for chronic low back pain are also being remanded.
The deciding factor: The case is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including a VA examination to address the nature and etiology of the veteran's respiratory disorder. The issues of an initial compensable rating for hiatal hernia with gastroesophageal reflux disease and an effective date earlier than April 30, 2003 for service connection for chronic low back pain are also being remanded.
- Claimed conditions
- chronic acquired respiratory disorder, hiatal hernia with gastroesophageal reflux disease, chronic low back pain
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 18, 2006
- Citation
- 0629528
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,582 · Granted: 32% (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 0629528.
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 decided to remand the case due to predecisional duty-to-assist errors, including inadequate medical opinions and missed VA examinations. The Veteran's claim for service connection for a back condition is being returned to the RO for further action.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's chronic low back pain was incurred in service and continues to this day, granting her claim for service connection.
- Granted
The Veteran's thoracolumbar disorder, including arthritis, thoracic spine scoliosis with degenerative changes, DDD, and chronic low back pain, is granted service connection. Service connection for a cervical strain is denied.
- Granted
The Veteran's chronic low back pain, left and right lower extremity radiculopathy, and bilateral foot conditions are granted. The lung condition (including asthma and bronchitis) is remanded for further evaluation.
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