The Board has remanded the claims for low back disorder, right hip disorder, and left ankle disorder due to insufficient medical opinions. The VA must obtain new opinions from experts on these issues.
The deciding factor: The previous opinions were inadequate or did not address all relevant factors as per the Board's prior directives.
- Claimed conditions
- Low back disorder, Right hip disorder, Left ankle disorder
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 17, 2020
- Citation
- 20041297
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 20041297.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for a low back disorder was reopened, and his claims for increased ratings of bilateral knee instability were granted. His hearing loss claim was denied.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for a low back disorder. The claims for bilateral hearing loss, hypertension, bilateral knee disorder, and an acquired psychiatric disorder are remanded.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for a low back disorder, finding that the evidence did not show an in-service onset or relationship to service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for right and left hip disorders, as secondary to service-connected lumbar spine strain with bilateral lower extremity sciatic radiculopathy. The case will be returned to the AOJ for further review.
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