The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient examination opinions regarding the relationship between the Veteran's back disability and his service. The case will be returned for further development.
The deciding factor: The VA examiners' opinions were inadequate as they did not adequately discuss whether the current conditions are related to the documented in-service injuries, including the 1981 x-ray findings of spondylolysis without spondylolisthesis and the back injury in October and September of 1981.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative disc disease (DDD), Arthritis, Right-sided sciatica
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 1, 2019
- Citation
- 19159710
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 19159710.
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 the veteran's claims for an earlier effective date and service connection for sleep apnea, finding no clear and unmistakable error in the prior rating decisions and no evidence linking the sleep apnea to service or a service-connected disability.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an initial rating of 20 percent for left and right lower extremity radiculopathy, but remanded other claims related to obstructive sleep apnea, bladder condition, left knee disability, degenerative disc disease, bilateral hearing loss, and right shoulder disability.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for a rating in excess of 10 percent for right third toe disability and entitlement to TDIU due to outstanding evidence and further development.
- Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability and tuberculosis, granted service connection for right ear hearing loss, and granted an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for pulmonary fibrosis.
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