The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for upper back disability, left leg strain, and right leg strain to include as secondary to a service-connected disability due to inadequate medical opinions in previous examinations.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner failed to provide a rationale for the conclusion that the Veteran's claimed disabilities were not proximately due to or aggravated by fibromyalgia.
- Claimed conditions
- upper back disability, left leg strain, right leg strain
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 6, 2021
- Citation
- 21072749
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 21072749.
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 claim for service connection of a left leg disability is reopened, and the appeal is granted.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for various conditions, including sleep apnea, lower back disability, upper back disability, bilateral foot disability, tinnitus, and bilateral knee disability. The Board found that there was no evidence to support a direct link between these conditions and active service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the Veteran's upper and low back disability, left hip disability, right knee disability, bilateral ankle disability, bilateral foot disability, and overall body pain are related to his active service. The claims are being remanded for further examination and opinion.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for left middle finger, right hand (including right middle finger), left arm, and upper back disabilities due to a lack of evidence linking these conditions to the Veteran's active military service.
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