The Board has remanded the claim for an addendum VA opinion to address whether the Veteran's low back disorder is related to his military service, including as a result of in-service lifting and treatment for back strain. The case will also be reviewed to determine if arthritis manifested within one year of separation from service.
The deciding factor: The remand requires additional medical opinions regarding the relationship between the Veteran's current low back disorders and his military service.
- Claimed conditions
- history of chiropractic subluxation of the spine, multi-level degenerative disc disease, multi-level degenerative joint disease of the facet joints
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 6, 2021
- Citation
- 21000729
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 21000729.
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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings and service connection were dismissed due to his death.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for increased ratings for multi-level degenerative disc disease is being remanded due to inadequate examination reports and the need for retroactive opinions.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for failed back surgical syndrome, multi-level lumbar spondylosis with myelopathy, and multi-level degenerative disc disease, finding that these conditions are related to active military service.
- Denied
The Board found no medical evidence linking the veteran's current low back disabilities to his service, and thus denied his claim for service connection.
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