The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's lower back condition is related to his service or caused by his right knee disability, and if so, whether it was aggravated by his right knee.
The deciding factor: The examination did not address whether the Veteran's right knee aggravated his lower back condition, which is required for a secondary service connection claim.
- Claimed conditions
- lower back degenerative arthritis
- How they argued it
- Aggravation of a pre-existing condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 4, 2019
- Citation
- 19125658
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,071 · Granted: 26% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted 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. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 19125658.
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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's claim for service connection for a lower back disorder has been granted, and the appeal is dismissed. The Board also remanded the issue of service connection for PTSD as due to in-service military sexual trauma (MST).
- Denied
The Board denied an initial disability rating in excess of 20 percent from May 11, 2017 prior to February 29, 2024, and in excess of 40 percent from February 29, 2024 for a service-connected lumbar spine disability.
- Granted
The Board grants service connection for lower back degenerative arthritis, finding that the Veteran's low back condition began during his active duty service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the service connection claims for acne and acne scarring, lower back degenerative arthritis, temporomandibular disorder, feet conditions including plantar fasciitis, Morton's neuroma, and left side sciatica due to missing active-duty service treatment records.
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