The Board has remanded the case for further adjudication due to an inadequate November 2015 VA examination. The examiner should address whether the Veteran's fractures and degenerative disc disease are related to service.
The deciding factor: An addendum opinion is needed from the November 2015 examiner to provide a rationale for their conclusions regarding the etiology of the Veteran's conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- residuals of a fracture of T-8, degenerative disc disease (DDD) of the thoracic spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 6, 2017
- Citation
- 1756298
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 1756298.
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 remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the nature and etiology of any residuals of a fracture of T-8 and degenerative disc disease (DDD) of the thoracic spine.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development regarding his claims of service connection for obstructive sleep apnea and a higher rating for DDD of the thoracic spine. The claim for tinnitus remains denied.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for bilateral shoulder arthralgia and tendonitis, as well as lumbago. The Veteran's treatment records indicate he sought medical attention for shoulder and back pain while in service. However, no VA examiner has provided an opinion on whether these disabilities are related to his military service.
- Denied
The Veteran's claims for increased evaluations for his service-connected bilateral restless leg syndrome, chondromalacia patella of the left knee, and degenerative disc disease (DDD) of the thoracic spine were denied. The RO assigned initial noncompensable ratings effective January 2008.
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