The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and providing an addendum opinion from an orthopedic specialist regarding the nature and etiology of any back disability. The Veteran's lay statements will be considered in determining whether his current back disability is related to service.
The deciding factor: The Board has determined that further medical evidence and a specialized opinion are necessary to properly adjudicate the claim for service connection.
- Claimed conditions
- back disability, including lumbar and cervical spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 22, 2017
- Citation
- 1734482
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 1734482.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the VA examination and opinion provided were inadequate for adjudication purposes, and thus the case is being remanded to obtain a new addendum opinion or examination by an orthopedic specialist.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claim of service connection for a back disability, including lumbar and cervical spine due to inadequate development. The case will be returned for further examination and opinion.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected coronary artery disease, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the severity of his condition.
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