The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims of service connection for low back disability, GERD, and migraine headaches due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology. The VA examiners were not satisfied with their previous opinions that did not adequately address the Veteran's lay statements about his ongoing symptoms.
The deciding factor: The VA examiners failed to consider the Veteran’s lay statements about his ongoing symptoms and did not discuss the 1989 motor vehicle accident or the in-service diagnosis of mild gastritis when providing their negative nexus opinions.
- Claimed conditions
- Low back disability, Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), Migraine headaches
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 19, 2020
- Citation
- 20054875
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 20054875.
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
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a low back disability and an increased rating for his acquired psychiatric disorder. The Board found that there was no evidence linking the current disabilities to military service.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected low back disability alone does not prevent him from securing and following a substantially gainful occupation.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal for service connection for Dupuytren's contracture of the left hand, right hand, and GERD is remanded due to inadequate VA examination opinions and failure to consider toxic exposure risk activities during service.
- Denied
The Veteran's GERD is currently rated at 10 percent disabling, but the Board found that his symptoms do not meet or approximate the criteria for a higher rating.
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