The Veteran's claims for service connection for a tumor of the thoracic spine and low back disability, claimed as a bulging disc and degenerative disc disease are being remanded due to the need to verify his periods of active duty, inactive duty for training, and to obtain VA examinations.
The deciding factor: The case is being remanded because the Veteran's claims require further development regarding his service connection claims, including verification of his military service and examination to determine the etiology of his claimed conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- Tumor of the thoracic spine, Lumbar degenerative joint disease, Bulging disc and/or degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 9, 2016
- Citation
- 1604872
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 1604872.
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 service connection for Degenerative Joint Disease of the Right Knee as secondary to a service-connected left knee disability, but has remanded the claim for Lumbar Spine Disability.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has found that additional development is needed for the issues on appeal, including obtaining treatment records and scheduling VA examinations to evaluate the Veteran's spine disability and address service connection claims.
- Granted
The Board has granted increased ratings for the Veteran's neck and low back disabilities, as well as separate ratings for his upper extremity radiculopathy. The effective date is not specified.
- Denied
The Veteran's claims for higher evaluations and a total disability rating were denied. The Board found that the effective date for service connection of degenerative changes to both knees with fibromyalgia should be March 26, 2009.
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