The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the nature and etiology of the Veteran's upper back disorder, which is considered a direct service connection without any presumption or secondary link.
The deciding factor: The Board found that there was not enough information provided by the VA examiner to determine if the upper back disorder is related to the Veteran's military service.
- Claimed conditions
- upper back disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 13, 2021
- Citation
- 21063077
Veterans Law Judge
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 21063077.
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 determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection for low back and upper back disorders require further examination to determine their etiology.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for a low back disorder but denied service connection for an upper back disorder.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for a VA examination to address service connection and rating issues.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for anxiety, depression, headaches, a neck disorder, an upper back disorder, a lower back disorder, and a left arm disorder as there was no evidence of current disabilities during the appeal period.
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