The Board has reopened the claim of service connection for a back disability due to new and material evidence, but has remanded the issue for further development as there is conflicting medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's pre-existing condition was aggravated by his military service.
The deciding factor: There are conflicting opinions on whether the Veteran's pre-existing back disability was aggravated by his military service.
- Claimed conditions
- Thoracolumbar spine (back) disability
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- March 29, 2019
- Citation
- 19123564
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,287 · Granted: 23% (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 19123564.
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
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for a bilateral hearing loss disability and remanded claims for multiple other disabilities, including left and right ankle, CTS, IBS, knee, shoulder, sleep apnea, and back conditions.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for additional development and readjudication due to outstanding VA treatment records, Social Security Administration disability benefit records, and a need for an examination to determine the etiology of his left ear hearing loss.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's thoracolumbar spine and cervical spine disabilities have been granted a 20% rating, effective prior to April 5, 2022. The Veteran's bilateral upper extremity radiculopathy has also been granted service connection.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board found that the Veteran's current thoracolumbar and cervical spine disabilities are not related to his service-connected bilateral knee disability, and thus denied both claims.
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