The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for a low back disability and migraines due to inconsistencies in imaging reports, need for an addendum opinion on service connection, and need for additional treatment records.
The deciding factor: There are inconsistencies in the imaging reports regarding the Veteran's lumbar spine condition. The Board also needs to obtain an addendum opinion from the examiner who provided the October 2012 VA examination to determine if the Veteran's current back disability is related to service or any other conditions, and whether it was aggravated by a service-connected disability. Additionally, the need for additional treatment records has been identified.
- Claimed conditions
- low back disability, migraines
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 22, 2018
- Citation
- 1817419
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 1817419.
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 claim for service connection for migraines was reopened due to new evidence. Service connection is granted for painful scars, but the rating assigned remains at 10 percent. The claims for fibromyalgia and bilateral shoulder disability are denied.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's headaches are at least as likely as not caused by his service-connected traumatic brain injury, and thus grants service connection for this condition.
- Dismissed
The appeal concerning the service connection claims for various conditions and initial compensable evaluations for service-connected erectile dysfunction and bilateral hearing loss is dismissed due to the Veteran's death.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has found that remand is needed for the Veteran's claims due to duty to assist errors, including clarification of periods of service and obtaining relevant records. The Veteran will be afforded new medical examinations for each claimed disability.
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