The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient opinions regarding the Veteran's spine disorder and its relationship to service, specifically his parachute jumps in the 1960s and his bilateral knee disabilities. The Veteran is seeking service connection for a spine disorder that he contends was incurred during active duty.
The deciding factor: The Board found conflicting opinions on whether the Veteran’s spine disorder is related to service, particularly his parachute jumps and knee disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- Spine disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 13, 2020
- Citation
- 20046610
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 20046610.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a spine disorder, finding that there was no evidence to support a nexus between his current spine condition and his active duty service or any other factor. The Board also found that diabetes mellitus did not cause or aggravate the spine disorder.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's spine disorder, diagnosed as degenerative disc disease, is service-connected. The evidence shows a back injury during service and post-service symptoms of pain related to lifting heavy objects.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that a VA examination is needed to determine if the Veteran qualifies for special monthly compensation based on loss of use of her right foot. The current examinations are inadequate and do not provide sufficient information about the Veteran's mobility needs or the status of her popliteal nerve.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for special monthly compensation (SMC) based on being housebound prior to August 18, 2015 is denied because he did not have a single service-connected disability rated as totally disabling or a TDIU rating based on one disability.
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