The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for a low back disability. The remaining issues of service connection for left hip, left foot, and right foot disabilities are remanded due to lack of objective clinical tests supporting the Veteran's claims. Additionally, the cervical spine, bilateral knee, and cervical radiculopathy disabilities require new VA examinations.
The deciding factor: The Board has found that there is a reasonable doubt regarding whether the Veteran’s current low back disability was incurred in service, thus granting service connection for this condition. The remaining issues are remanded due to lack of objective clinical tests supporting the Veteran's claims and the need for updated VA examinations to evaluate the severity of his cervical spine, bilateral knee, and cervical radiculopathy disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- low back pain, left hip disability, left foot disability, right foot disability, cervical spine multilevel degenerative disc disease (DDD), left knee degenerative changes in the medial compartment, right knee degenerative changes in the medial compartment, cervical radiculopathy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 31, 2018
- Citation
- 18122205
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 18122205.
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 claim for service connection of a low back disability was reopened due to the submission of new and material evidence. The claim is denied as there is no evidence that the current condition is related to service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for left and right hip disabilities due to inadequate VA medical opinions. The Veteran will need an adequate VA medical opinion to determine if his hip disabilities are related to service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for heart disease, hypertension, kidney disease, and low back pain due to potential errors in duty to assist. The AOJ is required to verify the Veteran's alleged exposure to herbicide agents and obtain private treatment records.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew his appeal for service connection of carpal tunnel syndrome in the left upper extremity, and the Board has dismissed this case.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.