The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining private medical records and a VA examination to clarify the nature and etiology of the Veteran's lumbar spine disorder.
The deciding factor: The examiner is requested to review all pertinent records associated with the claims file, including the Veteran's service treatment records, post-service medical records, and assertions. The examiner should provide an opinion as to whether it is at least as likely as not that the Veteran has a current lumbar spine disorder that manifested in or is otherwise causally or etiologically related to his military service.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbar spine degenerative joint disease, intervertebral disc syndrome, spinal stenosis
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 10, 2018
- Citation
- 1801863
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 1801863.
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 remands the claims for service connection for spinal stenosis, peripheral neuropathy, and bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy to correct pre-decisional duty to assist errors.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for a lumbar spine disability and radiculopathy of the bilateral lower extremities, finding that these conditions are related to the Veteran's military service.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for lumbar spine degenerative arthritis, degenerative disc disease, lumbosacral strain, and spinal stenosis based on the Veteran's in-service back injury and chronicity of symptoms.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for spinal stenosis and denied service connection for an enlarged prostate, including due to herbicide exposure.
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