The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for sigmoid diverticulitis and arthritis of the back due to insufficient evidence regarding their etiology.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner did not consider a relevant imaging study from May 2002 that showed degenerative changes in the lumbosacral spine, which could support a link between current symptoms and service.
- Claimed conditions
- sigmoid diverticulitis, arthritis of the back
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 9, 2019
- Citation
- 19127207
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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various claimed disabilities, including right and left knee replacements, ankle sprains, neck strain, lumbosacral strain, rotator cuff tear, shoulder dislocation, and sleep apnea, as the evidence did not support a finding of a nexus between these conditions and the Veteran's military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the cases for further development and examination to determine if the Veteran's arthritis disabilities are proximately due or aggravated by his service-connected generalized anxiety disorder and bilateral first cuneiform metatarsal joint arthritis.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various joint disabilities, finding that there was no evidence of a nexus between his current arthritis and his military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for a disability rating and service connection due to new evidence and further examination.
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