The Board has determined that additional development is needed in order to properly adjudicate the Veteran's service connection claims for a disorder of the lumbar spine and right knee. This includes scheduling VA examinations, obtaining additional medical records, and considering all evidence added to the record since the last Statement of the Case.
The deciding factor: The Board finds that the current examination reports are inadequate as they do not address the Veteran's lay history of continuity and chronicity of symptoms since service or the STRs which include an indication of a possible lumbar spine defect. The VA examiner also did not discuss whether the currently manifested low back disorder is causally related to the Veteran's period of active service.
- Claimed conditions
- disorder of the lumbar spine, right knee disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 1, 2011
- Citation
- 1121202
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 1121202.
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 Veteran's claims for service connection due to errors in obtaining relevant medical records and authorization for private treatment providers. The issues include heart disorder, OSA, sinusitis, lumbar spine disorder, and right knee disorder all related to Agent Orange exposure.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to a duty-to-assist error, and will need an opinion regarding whether the Veteran's right knee disorder is related to his parachute jumps during service.
- Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's request to readjudicate his claims for service connection for a lumbar spine disorder and obstructive sleep apnea, but denied his claim for right knee disorder. The Board also remanded the cases of left leg disorder and lumbar spine disorder.
- Denied
The Board has denied service connection for chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, right lower extremity radiculopathy, left lower extremity radiculopathy, and a right knee disorder. The evidence did not meet the criteria for direct service connection as there was no in-service diagnosis or continuity of symptomatology.
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