The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete development and a need for an additional VA medical opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's lower back disorder.
The deciding factor: The claim is being returned to the examiner for clarification on whether the Veteran’s lower back disorder is related to service, specifically his in-service diagnosis of lumbar spasms.
- Claimed conditions
- lower back disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 23, 2018
- Citation
- 18144033
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 18144033.
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for generalized anxiety disorder and denied service connection for a lower back disorder. The claims for depression, substance abuse disorder, and a compensable initial rating for bilateral hearing loss were dismissed.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for traumatic brain injury (TBI) and denied a rating in excess of 20 percent for urinary frequency. The other claims were remanded.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for a lower back disorder, an upper back and neck disorder, and migraine headaches based on the evidence showing that these conditions are at least as likely as not related to the Veteran's military service.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for a lower back disorder, including lumbosacral strain, intervertebral disc syndrome (IVDS), and bilateral lumbar radiculopathy.
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