The Board has remanded the claims of entitlement to service connection for back condition and cerebrovascular accident (CVA) due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology. The Veteran is seeking service connection for these conditions on a direct basis, without relying on any presumptions or secondary theories.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner's opinions were inadequate as they did not consider the Veteran’s lay statements and the evidence of possible causation and aggravation in the medical records.
- Claimed conditions
- back condition, cerebrovascular accident (CVA)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 28, 2021
- Citation
- 21025767
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 21025767.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a back condition, including degenerative disc disease and scoliosis, due to lack of current disability evidence.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for service connection for sleep apnea has been dismissed due to the withdrawal of his request.,Service connection for a back condition is denied as there is no evidence that the condition began during service or is related to an in-service injury, event, or disease.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to predecisional duty-to-assist errors, including inadequate medical opinions and missed VA examinations. The Veteran's claim for service connection for a back condition is being returned to the RO for further action.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not render him in need of regular aid and attendance of another, as his need for assistance is associated with nonservice-connected conditions.
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