The Board is remanding the case to obtain an addendum opinion from a VA examiner regarding the etiology of the Veteran's current low back disabilities, diagnosed as chronic lumbosacral strain and lumbar degenerative joint disease. The examiner should consider all complaints of back pain in service, including those during military service and after separation.
The deciding factor: The July 2011 VA examiner did not address the Veteran's complaints of recurrent back pain reported during his Reserve duty and subsequent civilian work injury.
- Claimed conditions
- chronic lumbosacral strain, lumbar degenerative joint disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 10, 2015
- Citation
- 1551864
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 1551864.
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 Veteran's claim for specially-adapted housing assistance and a special home adaptation grant was denied because he does not meet the criteria for either benefit based on his service-connected disabilities.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for left ankle strain, migraines, and tinnitus due to procedural issues. The low back condition, right foot condition, and current diagnoses have been denied as not related to military service.
- Granted
The Board has granted the restoration of entitlement to total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) and basic eligibility for Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA), effective May 1, 2020. The decision was made due to procedural errors in the previous termination decisions.
- Denied
The Veteran's low back disability is currently rated at 20 percent, effective March 10, 2020. The Board denied an increase in the evaluation for his low back disability as it did not meet the criteria for a higher rating.
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