The Veteran's service-connected back disability is rated at 10 percent, but he contends that his pain and other symptoms are more disabling than the current rating. The Board has decided to remand the case for further examination and evaluation.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner found that the Veteran’s low back condition was unrelated to his in-service injury and attributed his current lumbar spine and leg complaints to a mower accident, which is not supported by the evidence of record.
- Claimed conditions
- musculoskeletal thoracic spine pain, back disability residual to thoracic area injury
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 11, 2018
- Citation
- 18117650
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 18117650.
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 issues of entitlement to an initial disability rating in excess of 20 percent for musculoskeletal thoracic spine pain prior to May 15, 2013 and a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) for further development.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the cases for further development due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the Veteran's thoracic spine disability prior to May 15, 2013. The TDIU claim is also remanded as it is inextricably intertwined with the rating issue.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient information regarding the Veteran's thoracic spine disability prior to May 15, 2013. The issues of entitlement to an initial disability rating in excess of 10 percent for musculoskeletal thoracic spine pain and TDIU are being remanded.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the cases for further development due to issues related to the Veteran's musculoskeletal thoracic spine pain and TDIU.
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