The veteran is seeking to have his service connection for lower back degenerative disc disease restored. The VA has not obtained all relevant medical records and needs to do so before deciding the case.
The deciding factor: The VA needs additional evidence from the veteran regarding post-service treatment of his low back disorder.
- Claimed conditions
- lower back degenerative disc disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 21, 2008
- Citation
- 0828365
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 0828365.
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 claims for service connection for lower back, right hip, and left hip disabilities due to pre-decisional duty to assist errors. The Veteran's disabilities are being evaluated based on their direct relationship to his service.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's back disability and basal cell carcinoma, finding that new evidence submitted after a prior final denial supports these claims.,Service connection is granted for the Veteran's back disability, with reasonable doubt resolved in favor of the Veteran.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has found that the Veteran's service connection claims for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, COPD and emphysema, and lower back degenerative disc disease should be remanded due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for lower back degenerative disc disease, left ankle arthritis, right ankle arthritis, and left ear hearing loss. The evidence is at least evenly balanced as to whether these conditions are related to the Veteran's military service.
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