The Board has remanded the claims for low back strain, DJD of the cervical spine, and tingling/numbness of the left arm due to service connection issues. The Veteran's medical records need to be updated, and a VA examination is required to determine if there is a causal relationship between his conditions and his military service.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the previous opinions were inadequate and remanded for further development including obtaining additional medical records and scheduling a VA examination.
- Claimed conditions
- low back strain, degenerative disc/joint disease (DJD) of the cervical spine, tingling/numbness of the left arm
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 8, 2019
- Citation
- 19135587
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,188 · Granted: 23% (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 19135587.
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 withdrew all his appeals, including the one for an increased rating for low back strain.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for service connection for athletes' foot, low back strain, and plantar fasciitis due to a lack of a VA examination prior to the August 2020 rating decision.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for service connection of a low back strain has been withdrawn, resulting in the dismissal of this issue.
- Denied
The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for left shoulder, right shoulder, and low back disabilities due to a lack of evidence linking these conditions to his active military service.
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