The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for a new VA examination to assess the current severity of his service-connected spine disability and any associated neurologic involvement.
The deciding factor: The last evaluation was more than four years ago, and there are recent complaints of increased back pain and bowel/bladder impairment. The examiner should determine if these symptoms are related to the Veteran's spine disability or a nonservice-connected disorder.
- Claimed conditions
- compression fracture of the thoracolumbar spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 23, 2015
- Citation
- 1531394
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 1531394.
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 an earlier effective date of service connection for a compression fracture of the thoracolumbar spine, finding that the evidence did not support an earlier effective date prior to August 7, 2012.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for service connection for compression fracture of the thoracolumbar spine with degenerative disc disease and strain was granted effective August 7, 2012. The Board found that an earlier effective date prior to this decision is not warranted.
- Granted
The Board has granted a 20 percent disability rating for the service-connected residuals of a compression fracture of the thoracolumbar spine with traumatic arthritis prior to February 8, 2018. The Veteran's back disability is rated under the General Rating Formula for Diseases and Injuries of the Spine.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an effective date prior to August 7, 2012 for the grant of service connection for compression fractures of the thoracolumbar spine. The decision found that the preponderance of evidence was against a finding that any earlier claims were entitled to an effective date.
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