The Board has remanded two issues related to service connection for back pain and head pain in the back of the head due to inadequate examination reports and failure to address certain records.
The deciding factor: The VA examiners did not adequately consider the Veteran's lay statements regarding his symptoms and treatment, as well as previous medical opinions.
- Claimed conditions
- Back pain, Head pain in the back
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 1, 2021
- Citation
- 21061269
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,863 · Granted: 26% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 21061269.
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 service-connected disabilities result in him needing regular aid and attendance, which has been granted for special monthly compensation at the aid and attendance rate.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for urinary incontinence, back pain, and bilateral foot pain due to potential service connection issues. The AOJ is required to provide a VA examination and obtain an opinion regarding whether these conditions are related to service.
- Granted
The Veteran's TDIU is granted effective December 30, 1995. Basic eligibility for Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA) is also granted as of that date.
- Denied
The Board has determined that the Veteran is not in need of personal care services for a minimum of six continuous months due to her ability to perform ADLs independently and does not require supervision or protection based on symptoms or injuries. Therefore, eligibility to enroll in the PCAFC program is denied.
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