The Board has determined that the October 2012 VA examination and opinion are inadequate, and therefore, a new VA examination is required to determine if the Veteran's current low back disability is related to his service.
The deciding factor: The provided rationale for the negative opinion relied on the separation examination being 'negative for any spinal abnormalities' and not establishing chronicity. The Veteran has provided additional lay testimony explaining that he had back pain since service, which gradually got worse over time.
- Claimed conditions
- low back disability, to include degenerative disc and facet disease with neural foraminal stenosis of the lumbar spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 12, 2016
- Citation
- 1605610
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 1605610.
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.
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- Denied
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- Granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD is granted as the evidence shows a current diagnosis of PTSD, an in-service stressor, and a medical link between the two.
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