The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for service connection for chronic low back pain, left lower extremity radiculopathy, and right lower extremity radiculopathy due to missing service treatment records. The Veteran is required to undergo VA examinations to determine if his current disabilities are related to his in-service injury.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the Veteran's STRs were unavailable due to fire, which created a heightened duty to assist him in developing his claim for service connection. As a result, the Board has ordered remand of these claims.
- Claimed conditions
- chronic low back pain, left lower extremity (LLE) radiculopathy, right lower extremity (RLE) radiculopathy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 27, 2019
- Citation
- 19196531
Veterans Law Judge
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 19196531.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to predecisional duty-to-assist errors, including inadequate medical opinions and missed VA examinations. The Veteran's claim for service connection for a back condition is being returned to the RO for further action.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals for earlier effective dates and increased ratings were dismissed as the appeal requests were not timely filed.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's chronic low back pain was incurred in service and continues to this day, granting her claim for service connection.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew his appeal, so the Board dismissed it.
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