The Board has found that further development of the medical record is needed to properly consider the Veteran's claim for service connection for a low back disability. The case is REMANDED for another examination and opinion addressing both theories of entitlement.
The deciding factor: The current medical opinions are inadequate as they do not address both theories of entitlement (direct service connection and secondary service connection) or account for all relevant evidence, including the Veteran's complaints of back pain in service and her current diagnoses.
- Claimed conditions
- Thoracolumbar scoliosis, Rotational deformity of the lower lumbar spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 17, 2016
- Citation
- 1619970
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 1619970.
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for erectile dysfunction as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected posttraumatic stress disorder with dissociative disorder, alcohol dependence, and cannabis abuse. The claims for sleep apnea or any other sleep disorder, obesity, gastroesophageal reflux disorder, hypertension, tension headaches, patellofemoral pain syndrome of both knees, thoracolumbar scoliosis, and upper back and neck pain were denied.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for cervical and thoracolumbar spine disabilities, finding that the conditions were not related to service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate medical opinion regarding service connection for a low back disability. The Veteran's claim will be returned for another examination and an addendum opinion.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the cases due to insufficient evidence and need for further examination. The Veteran's cervical spine degenerative disc disease, thoracolumbar scoliosis, left hip condition, left foot condition, and migraines are all under review.
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