The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including an updated VA examination to assess the severity of his service-connected low back disability and differentiate between symptoms attributable to his service-connected condition and any other diagnosed conditions.
The deciding factor: Additional evidence was submitted by the Veteran that requires further evaluation to determine the current frequency and severity of his service-connected low back disability and to distinguish its manifestations from those caused by other diagnosed conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- degenerative changes of the thoracolumbar spine, residual scarring
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 9, 2016
- Citation
- 1604806
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 1604806.
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.
- Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for degenerative changes of the thoracolumbar spine and lumbar spondylosis with multilevel mild and mild-to-moderate neural foraminal stenosis, finding that his back disorder is etiologically related to his active service.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's appeal for an earlier effective date prior to August 10, 2022, for service-connected conditions as the October 2024 Supplemental Claim was not a valid appeal.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's appeal for an earlier effective date prior to August 10, 2022, for service-connected conditions as the October 2024 Supplemental Claim was not a valid appeal.
- Granted
The Veteran's acne, including residual scarring, was incurred in active service and the Board found that it is related to his military service. Service connection for this condition has been granted.
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