The Board has determined that the VA examination provided in November 2014 was inadequate for addressing whether the Veteran's chronic low back disability is secondary to his service-connected cervical spine disability. The case is being remanded to obtain a new opinion from an appropriate examiner.
The deciding factor: The previous VA examination did not address whether the Veteran’s current low back disability was aggravated by his service-connected cervical spine disability, which is required for secondary service connection claims.
- Claimed conditions
- chronic low back disability
- How they argued it
- Aggravation of a pre-existing condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- January 31, 2019
- Citation
- 19107437
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,036 · Granted: 27% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 19107437.
What this means for you
A remand sends an issue back for more development, often a new examination or missing records. It does not award the benefit or decide the final outcome. The original decision explains the additional work ordered.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Dismissed
The Veteran has withdrawn their appeal, effectively dismissing the case.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to concerns about the competency of the VA medical examiner who provided a negative nexus opinion regarding the Veteran's low back disability.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate medical opinions and failure to comply with previous remand directives. The Veteran's claim for service connection for a chronic low back disability is now before the RO for further review.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate development and need for an addendum medical opinion. The Veteran's claim of service connection for a chronic low back disability is now pending.
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