The Board has determined that the VA examinations and opinions are inadequate for determining service connection for the Veteran's low back condition and psychiatric disorder. The case is therefore being remanded to obtain additional medical opinions.
The deciding factor: The provided medical opinions do not adequately address the Veteran’s reported history of recurrent back pain during service, which may be related to his duties as a Vertical Launching System Maintenance Technician.
- Claimed conditions
- Low back condition, Psychiatric disorder (Generalized anxiety disorder)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 18, 2018
- Citation
- 18158824
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 18158824.
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 Board has granted service connection for a low back condition and right shoulder rotator cuff strain, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are at least as likely as not related to his military service.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals for service connection for a low back condition and an acquired psychiatric disability are dismissed as procedural defects due to the overlapping nature of the appeals.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for a low back condition as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected right hip condition, finding that the Veteran's back pain is aggravated by his right hip surgery.
- Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for a low back condition, finding that it was incurred during active duty.
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