The Veteran seeks service connection for a back disability, which he contends first manifested in service after a physical altercation. The case is REMANDED to obtain additional VA treatment records and schedule the Veteran for a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of his currently diagnosed back disability.
The deciding factor: The evidence does not contain sufficient competent medical evidence to decide the claim, but contains competent lay or medical evidence of a current disability, establishes that the veteran suffered an event in service, and indicates that the current disability may be associated with the in-service event.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbar segment of the spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 22, 2013
- Citation
- 1309798
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 1309798.
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 claim for service connection for a disability of the lumbar segment of the spine, finding that her current back condition was not caused by or related to her military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to incomplete development of evidence, including missing medical records and lack of examination opinions.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed all appeals related to various disability ratings and effective dates for service connection, as the Veteran withdrew her appeal in its entirety.
- Denied
The VA has determined that there is no evidence to support the Veteran's claim of a lower back disability being incurred or aggravated during his active duty service. The Board found that the service medical records do not show any such injury and that the Veteran's current symptoms are not confirmed by the available medical evidence.
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