The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining updated treatment records and scheduling a VA examination to determine the etiology of any currently diagnosed low back disability. The Veteran's claim will be readjudicated after these actions.
The deciding factor: The examiner needs to provide an opinion as to whether it is at least as likely as not that any currently diagnosed low back disability originated while the Veteran was serving on active duty or is otherwise etiologically related to service, and discuss the findings from the September 2015 VA examination in connection with this determination.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative arthritis of the cervical spine, Degenerative arthritis of the thoracic spine, Degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 18, 2018
- Citation
- 1803360
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 1803360.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for increased ratings for degenerative arthritis of the cervical spine and lumbar spine was granted with effective dates of May 13, 2019.
- Granted
The Veteran's degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine was diagnosed during service and has continued since then. The Board granted service connection for this condition based on continuity of symptomatology.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to inadequate examinations and the need for a retrospective opinion regarding the severity of his service-connected lumbar spine disability.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's low back disability, diagnosed as degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine, is related to service and granted service connection for this condition.
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