The Board has remanded the case for further development and adjudication due to a prior decision being vacated by the Court. The Veteran's claim will be returned to the VA examiner who conducted the February 2010 VA spine examination for an addendum opinion.
The deciding factor: The Court required that a new VA medical opinion be obtained in compliance with the June 2012 Board remand directives, specifically addressing whether the Veteran's current lumbar spine disorders are related to his presumed low back injury during service.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine, Spondylolisthesis
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 2, 2015
- Citation
- 1504824
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 1504824.
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 Veteran's claims for an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for his lumbar spine and right hip disabilities due to a duty to assist error. The effective date for DEA benefits is granted as May 1, 2014.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date and higher initial rating for his back disability is denied. The effective date remains March 29, 2021, as the earliest date of claim. An initial rating in excess of 20 percent for the back disability from March 29, 2021, is also denied.
- Granted
The Veteran's low back disability and right leg radiculopathy are granted service connection, but left leg radiculopathy is denied.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a back disability, finding that there was no evidence of chronicity or continuity of symptomatology since service and concluding that his current disabilities are more likely related to an in-service injury than to his military service.
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