The Board has denied service connection for low back and neck disorders, finding that the evidence does not support a finding of in-service injury or disease. The Board also remanded issues regarding right and left knee disorders due to lack of verification of duty status during a period when the appellant was treated for bilateral knee injuries.,The decision on right and left knee disorders is pending as it has been remanded.
The deciding factor: The evidence does not establish that the low back or neck disorders were incurred in service, with no chronicity of care to suggest their presence during service. The appellant's current diagnoses are attributed to non-service-related causes.,Further examination is needed to determine if the appellant’s bilateral knee disorder is secondary to her service-connected left ankle osteoarthritis.
- Claimed conditions
- Low back disorder, Neck disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- December 3, 2020
- Citation
- 20076923
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 20076923.
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.
- 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 Veteran's claims for service connection for low back disorder and bilateral knee disorders due to duty to assist errors prior to the rating decision on appeal. The Veteran is not prejudiced as a remand is necessary to correct these errors.
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