The Board has remanded the case for further development to ensure compliance with the Court's January 2015 memorandum decision and prior August 2012 Joint Motion. The Veteran is required to provide authorization for VA to obtain any outstanding treatment records from his chiropractor, as well as complete clinical records of all providers identified.
The deciding factor: The Board needs a more comprehensive VA medical opinion that addresses the etiology of the Veteran's low back disabilities and whether any other diagnosed conditions (such as arthritis or disc disease) have been caused or aggravated by the lumbar strain. The examiner must also consider the credibility of the Veteran's account of his symptom history.
- Claimed conditions
- low back strain, lumbar degenerative disc disease, lumbar spinal stenosis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 13, 2016
- Citation
- 1619544
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 1619544.
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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew all his appeals, including the one for an increased rating for low back strain.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities rendered him unable to secure and follow substantially gainful employment prior to August 14, 2023.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for service connection for athletes' foot, low back strain, and plantar fasciitis due to a lack of a VA examination prior to the August 2020 rating decision.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for service connection of a low back strain has been withdrawn, resulting in the dismissal of this issue.
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