The claim for service connection of lumbar spine condition and right hip strain is being remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions.
The deciding factor: The VA examiners did not provide an opinion on whether the current conditions were caused or aggravated by the Veteran's service-connected knee disabilities, which is necessary for a full determination.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbar spine condition, right hip strain
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 16, 2018
- Citation
- 18102844
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 18102844.
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 several claims for further action, including effective date determinations and service connection determinations. The Veteran's service records from Portsmouth Naval Hospital are requested to be obtained.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for service connection of his right hip disability is denied as the earliest date of entitlement is April 21, 2025.
- Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's claims for service connection for a left shoulder condition and a lumbar spine condition, finding that these conditions first manifested in service and are related to his military service.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for left shoulder condition, left knee condition, lumbar spine condition (as secondary to left knee condition), right knee condition (as secondary to left knee condition), posttraumatic stress disorder, and obstructive sleep apnea (secondary to service-connected disabilities with obesity as an intermediary step).,The Board found the evidence persuasive in favor of granting service connection for these conditions.
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