The Veteran's claim is being remanded for additional development, including a VA examination to determine if he has any additional disability as a result of his in-service pilonidal cyst excision surgery and whether that disability was caused by the care provided by VA.
The deciding factor: The Board found the June 2016 VA examination inadequate and remanded for another examination to evaluate the Veteran's § 1151 claim and determine if he has any additional disability resulting from his in-service pilonidal cyst removal procedure, including chronic back pain.
- Claimed conditions
- pilonidal cyst removal, chronic lower back pain
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- December 3, 2019
- Citation
- 19190870
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 3,319 · Granted: 25% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed 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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 19190870.
What this means for you
A remand sends an issue back for more development, often a new examination or missing records. It does not award the benefit or decide the final outcome. The original decision explains the additional work ordered.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has denied service connection for sinusitis and remanded the Veteran's claims for chronic lower back pain, right knee pain, left knee pain, neck pain, and GERD.
- Whole decision: Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal of service connection for sinusitis is dismissed. The issue of service connection for chronic lower back pain is remanded.
- Whole decision: Dismissed
The Board dismissed the Veteran's appeal for service connection for chronic lower back pain due to untimely filing of a Notice of Disagreement. The Board granted service connection for tinnitus, finding that it resulted from active duty service.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for back disability due to a duty-to-assist error, specifically the failure to obtain relevant private treatment records.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.