The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate opinions regarding whether the Veteran's low back condition is related on a secondary basis to his service-connected bilateral knee disabilities.
The deciding factor: The opinions provided did not consider facts and evidence pertaining specifically to the Veteran, nor explain how or why the conclusions were reached.
- Claimed conditions
- Thoracolumbar spine condition
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 27, 2021
- Citation
- 21076636
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 21076636.
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.
- Denied
The Board has determined that the Veteran's current thoracolumbar spine condition did not begin in service and is not otherwise related to his military service, thus denying his claim for service connection.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claim for a thoracolumbar spine condition due to a pre-decisional error in failing to obtain an adequate medical opinion. The case is now pending with instructions to provide a new VA examination and opinion.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for cervical spine, thoracolumbar spine, and left upper extremity neuropathy due to inadequate VA examination opinions regarding service connection.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for service connection for a thoracolumbar spine condition and an acquired psychiatric disorder due to the need for additional development of evidence.
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