The Board has determined that additional development is necessary to properly adjudicate the Veteran's claims for service connection for a low back disability and secondary service connection for a left leg disability. The case is being remanded to obtain a supplemental VA medical opinion addressing all of the evidence in the claims file, including the Veteran's lay statements and those of his son and coworker.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the April 2011 VA examination was inadequate as it did not address all of the lay evidence of record, to include the Veteran's statements and those of his son and coworker; all of the service treatment records, to include those that note a diagnosis of a 'chronic lumbar strain' during service; and the private medical opinions in support of the Veteran's claim provided by Dr. J.I.
- Claimed conditions
- Low back disability, Left leg disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 17, 2012
- Citation
- 1217772
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 1217772.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a low back disability and an increased rating for his acquired psychiatric disorder. The Board found that there was no evidence linking the current disabilities to military service.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected low back disability alone does not prevent him from securing and following a substantially gainful occupation.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a low back disability and bilateral hip disability, finding that there was no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for increased disability evaluation and effective dates are being remanded due to the need for a new VA examination to address the severity of his low back disability, including whether he has experienced incapacitating episodes of IVDS.
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