The Board has reopened the claim of service connection for a low back disability due to new diagnoses, but remanded for further clarification and medical opinions regarding the nature and etiology of these conditions.
The deciding factor: The claims are being remanded as there is insufficient information on whether any diagnosed condition is congenital or acquired, and if so, whether it was incurred in service.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbar disc extrusion L4/5, chronic lumbar strain, meralgia paresthetica-left, L5 bilateral spondylosis, spina bifida
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 7, 2018
- Citation
- 18124596
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 18124596.
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 service-connected disabilities render him unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has denied service connection for right lower extremity radiculopathy and a rating in excess of 10 percent for chronic lumbar strain. The claims for migraines and Meniere's disease are remanded.
- Denied
The claim for benefits under 38 U.S.C. § 1805 for a child born with spina bifida is denied because no new and relevant evidence has been submitted to support the claim.
- Denied
The Board has readjudicated the claim for service connection for chronic lumbar strain due to new evidence submitted after the prior final denial. However, it was determined that the Veteran's current condition is not related to service because his actions leading to the injury were considered willful misconduct.
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