The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding service connection for a thoracolumbar spine disorder and secondary service connection due to right hip disability. The Veteran needs another VA examination to provide these opinions.
The deciding factor: The previous VA examinations did not adequately address the nexus between the Veteran's shrapnel injury, his service-connected right hip disability, and his current thoracolumbar spine disorder.
- Claimed conditions
- Thoracolumbar spine disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- May 3, 2021
- Citation
- 21026518
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 21026518.
What this means for you
A remand sends an issue back for more development, often a new examination or missing records. It does not award the benefit or decide the final outcome. The original decision explains the additional work ordered.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the initial ratings assigned for psoriatic arthritis of the upper and lower extremities, as well as service connection for a cervical spine disorder, need to be remanded due to incomplete evidence. The Veteran's periods of active duty for training (ADT) and inactive duty for training (IDT) must be confirmed, and all relevant medical records should be obtained.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran's thoracolumbar spine disorder is rated at 20 percent prior to September 9, 2020 and 20 percent thereafter. The rating for GERD remains at 10 percent.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for thoracolumbar spine disorder, right lower extremity and left lower extremity neurological disorders, and hypertension due to potential in-service exposure. The AOJ is required to develop these issues further.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to issues related to an evaluation for a thoracolumbar spine disorder and service connection for a psychiatric disorder, which may be related to the Veteran's service-connected thoracolumbar spine disability. The case will be returned to the AOJ for further development.
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