The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the etiology of the Veteran's low back disorders. The VA must obtain updated treatment records and provide a new opinion on whether these conditions are related to service.
The deciding factor: The decision is based on the need for updated medical evidence and clarification of previous examination reports that do not adequately address the continuity of symptoms since service.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbosacral disc disease, arthritis, right lower extremity sciatic radiculopathy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 31, 2019
- Citation
- 19197065
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 19197065.
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 remands the appeal to obtain a VA medical opinion that considers the Veteran's contentions of in-service training with heavy gear and equipment.
- Partly granted
The Board denied a disability rating greater than 10 percent for tinnitus and a rating greater than 20 percent for lumbosacral strain, but granted a 20 percent rating for left lower extremity sciatic radiculopathy and right lower extremity sciatic radiculopathy.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for left knee strain, right knee strain, lumbosacral strain, and right lower extremity sciatic radiculopathy as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected conditions. The Board denied a rating in excess of 10 percent for residuals of right ankle fracture and a rating in excess of 60 percent for the service-connected heart condition. The Board also denied a compensable disability rating for residual scar of the anterior trunk mid sternum status post coronary artery bypass graft.
- Partly granted
The appeal for service connection for fibromyalgia was granted with an effective date of August 14, 2023. The appeals for earlier effective dates and higher ratings were denied.
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