The Board has remanded the case for another VA examination to address whether the Veteran's upper back disability is related to his service-connected lumbar degenerative disc disease with chronic lower back pain or other service-connected disabilities.
The deciding factor: The July 2013 VA examiner did not provide adequate rationale for their opinion regarding secondary service connection, and thus another remand is necessary.
- Claimed conditions
- chronic upper back disability, thoracic and cervical spine condition
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 21, 2013
- Citation
- 1332829
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 1332829.
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 found that a chronic upper back disability of the thoracic and cervical spine did not have its onset during any period of active service, nor was it shown to be related to service-connected lumbar DDD with chronic lower back pain. The claim for service connection was denied.
- Denied
The Board has determined that there is no current diagnosis of kidney stones, and thus the Veteran's claim for service connection for kidney stones is denied. The claims for initial compensable ratings for chronic upper back disability and chronic low back disability are remanded for additional development.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the veteran's claims for a bilateral shoulder condition and thoracic and cervical spine condition due to procedural issues, medical opinions are needed regarding the relationship between his service-connected low back disability and these conditions.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's headaches are at least as likely as not caused by his service-connected traumatic brain injury, and thus grants service connection for this condition.
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