The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate reasoning in a previous opinion and issues regarding the significance of the Veteran's limp or altered gait. The Veteran is seeking service connection for his low back disability, which he claims was caused by his service-connected left lower extremity shell fragment wound residuals.
The deciding factor: The Board found the April 2007 private opinion inadequate due to lack of familiarity with the complete record and insufficient discussion of aggravation. The parties agreed that remand is needed for an adequate medical advisory opinion addressing the Veteran's limp or altered gait and its significance in relation to his low back disability.
- Claimed conditions
- low back disability, degenerative joint disease (DJD) of the lumbosacral spine
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 18, 2021
- Citation
- 21015724
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 21015724.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has found that remand is needed for the Veteran's claims due to duty to assist errors, including clarification of periods of service and obtaining relevant records. The Veteran will be afforded new medical examinations for each claimed disability.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and remanded the claims of right shoulder disability and low back disability due to insufficient evidence.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection of a low back disability was granted with an effective date of January 9, 2018. The Board accepted her November 21, 2019 VA Form 20-0996 as a valid opt-in of the April 2019 SOC into the modernized review system.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal concerning diabetes and a low back disability has been dismissed due to their death during the pendency of the appeal.
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