The Board has remanded the claim for service connection of low back injury residuals due to inadequate medical opinion regarding nexus between current disability and service. The Veteran's STRs show multiple instances of diagnosed and treated back issues, but a VA examiner found no link to service.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner failed to consider relevant lay and medical evidence of record, including the Veteran's statements about his history of symptoms since service.
- Claimed conditions
- low back injury, lumbar sprain, degenerative disc disease (DDD), degenerative joint disease (DJD), chronic pain syndrome, ambulatory dysfunction
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 4, 2021
- Citation
- A21017904
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 A21017904.
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 Board dismissed the appeals for service connection of various conditions due to untimely filing of the appeal.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal has been dismissed as he withdrew his appeal prior to the Board making a decision.
- Granted
The Veteran's service connection claims for degenerative disc disease, intervertebral disc syndrome, spinal stenosis, and bilateral lower extremity sciatica have been granted as they are related to his active duty service.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed the appeal because the appellant requested to withdraw his appeal for service connection claims related to left ankle lateral collateral ligament sprain, left knee strain, bilateral hearing loss, and low back injury.
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