The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling a VA examination. The issues of increased rating for low back disorder, earlier effective date for the assignment of a 20 percent rating for low back disorder, service connection for radiculopathy of the left lower extremity, cervical muscle strain, traumatic arthritis of the sternoclavicular joint of the left second rib, and gastroesophageal reflux disease are being remanded. The issue of TDIU is also being remanded.
The deciding factor: The appeal requires additional development to obtain medical records and schedule a VA examination for the Veteran's back disorder and associated neurological abnormalities.
- Claimed conditions
- low back disorder, radiculopathy of the left lower extremity, gastroesophageal reflux disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 24, 2014
- Citation
- 1451999
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 1451999.
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 claims for a VA examination and medical opinion to determine if the Veteran's low back disorder and bilateral hip disorder are related to his service-connected Crohn's disease.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for low back disorder, skin disorder, tongue condition, right chest costochondritis, and right hand shaking due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to his military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for esophageal stricture and gastroesophageal reflux disease due to a failure to obtain a medical opinion regarding the latter condition. The claim will be reconsidered after obtaining such an opinion.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that side effects from prescribed medications contributed substantially and materially to his accidental motorcycle collision resulting in fatal injuries.
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