The Board has determined that a VA medical examination is needed to determine the nature and etiology of the Veteran's claimed low back disorder, including diagnoses noted in treatment records. The case will be remanded for this purpose.
The deciding factor: The claim requires an evaluation of the Veteran's current condition and its relationship to service, which necessitates a medical opinion based on examination findings.
- Claimed conditions
- subluxation complex at multiple levels in the thoracic region, herniated lumbar disc, L5-S1, with radiculitis, cervical-dorsal myositis with somatic dysfunction, lumbar subluxation, degeneration of the lumbar or lumbosacral disc, sciatica
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 23, 2018
- Citation
- 1803845
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 1803845.
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.
- Dismissed
The Board denied the veteran's appeals for service connection due to untimely filings.
- Dismissed
The Board denied the veteran's attempts to appeal rating decisions that denied service connection for various conditions and reduced his evaluation, as the appeals were not timely filed.
- Dismissed
The appeal was dismissed due to the Veteran's death while it was pending.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for sciatica, lumbar strain, and bilateral hip disability as the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of any of these conditions.
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