The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient medical opinion regarding the relationship between the Veteran's lower back condition and his military service. The Veteran is requested to provide a new VA examination or addendum opinion.
The deciding factor: The Board found the previous examiner’s opinion inadequate as it did not address the Veteran's lay statements about symptoms continuing since service and why they are unrelated to his in-service complaints.
- Claimed conditions
- lower back condition, degenerative arthritis, intervertebral disc syndrome
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 19, 2019
- Citation
- 19163898
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 19163898.
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 appeal seeking service connection for diabetes mellitus, type II, degenerative arthritis, hyperlipidemia, and hypertension was dismissed due to non-compliance with claims processing rules.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for various conditions to correct pre-decisional duty to assist errors, including obtaining outstanding Social Security Administration records.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for a right leg condition, sinusitis, lower back condition, and joint pain as the evidence did not support a finding that these conditions began during active service or are otherwise related to an in-service injury, event, or disease.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for tinnitus, bilateral hearing loss, bilateral pes planus (flat feet), bilateral ankle condition, bilateral knee condition, and lower back condition as there was no evidence of a current disability or that the disabilities were related to the Veteran's military service.
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