The Board has determined that the Veteran's service-connected residuals of a compression fracture of T-12 did not cause or contribute to his death. However, the October 2014 VA examiner did not address whether this condition impacted other significant conditions contributing to his death. The case is being remanded for further review by an appropriate examiner.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the October 2014 VA examiner's opinion was inadequate as it did not consider the impact of the service-connected disability on other significant causes of death.
- Claimed conditions
- Compression fracture of T-12
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 16, 2021
- Citation
- 21015169
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 21015169.
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 DDD of the lumbar spine was granted an initial rating of 10 percent prior to July 20, 2011 and a rating of 40 percent from that date. The residuals of his T-12 fracture were also granted an initial compensable evaluation.
- Denied
The veteran's claims for increased evaluations were denied as his conditions did not meet the criteria for higher ratings under the applicable VA rating schedule.
- Denied
The Board denied an increased evaluation for the veteran's residuals of a compression fracture of T-12, currently rated at 20 percent.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
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