The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional medical examinations and records. Specifically, a VA examination is needed to assess his current back disability and headaches, as well as to determine if there are any missing service treatment records.
The deciding factor: The decision requires further evaluation of the Veteran's back condition and headache disorder, including obtaining updated medical records and conducting physical examinations.
- Claimed conditions
- thoracolumbar degenerative joint disease and lumbosacral strain, severe headache
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 24, 2021
- Citation
- 21070625
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 21070625.
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 emergency medical treatment at Bonner General Hospital on January 3, 2016 was for chest pain and a severe headache. The treatment met the criteria for payment or reimbursement under VA regulations due to the urgency of the condition and the unavailability of a VA facility.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for payment or reimbursement of medical expenses at a private hospital is being remanded due to the need for clarification on stabilization and transfer issues.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected coronary artery disease, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the severity of his condition.
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