The Veteran seeks service connection for a back condition, which he claims is secondary to his service-connected right tibia and fibula fracture with severe loss of motion in the ankle. The case has been remanded due to insufficient medical opinion regarding whether the low back disorder is caused by or aggravated by the service-connected ankle disability.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner did not provide an adequate opinion on whether the Veteran's low back disorder is secondary to his service-connected right leg disability, including any altered gait resulting from that disability.
- Claimed conditions
- focal L5-S1 disc disease with lumbosacral facet arthropathy, back condition
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 26, 2013
- Citation
- 1338982
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 1338982.
What this means for you
A remand sends an issue back for more development, often a new examination or missing records. It does not award the benefit or decide the final outcome. The original decision explains the additional work ordered.
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 back condition, including degenerative disc disease and scoliosis, due to lack of current disability evidence.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for service connection for sleep apnea has been dismissed due to the withdrawal of his request.,Service connection for a back condition is denied as there is no evidence that the condition began during service or is related to an in-service injury, event, or disease.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to predecisional duty-to-assist errors, including inadequate medical opinions and missed VA examinations. The Veteran's claim for service connection for a back condition is being returned to the RO for further action.
- Denied
The Veteran's appeal for special monthly compensation and service connection was denied due to a late filing of the Board Appeal request.
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