The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate consideration of the Veteran's contentions regarding a tailbone injury sustained during National Guard service and his current lumbar spine pain.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner did not consider the Veteran's lay statements about fracturing his tailbone during service, which is necessary for service connection.
- Claimed conditions
- residuals of a tailbone injury, degenerative disc and joint disease of the lumbar spine, sacroiliitis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 28, 2022
- Citation
- 22004886
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 22004886.
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 a remand is necessary to obtain an addendum medical opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's back disability, specifically addressing whether there was aggravation during service and if the lumbar spondylosis, lumbar radiculopathy, sacroiliitis, and failed back surgery syndrome had onset in service.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an effective date prior to February 8, 2023 for the grant of a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities (TDIU) because it is not factually ascertainable that his service-connected conditions caused him to become unemployable within one year before filing the claim.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to the need for a VA examination to determine if there is a link between the Veteran's current back disability and her military service, specifically the in-service acute back pain.
- Granted
The Veteran's disability rating for her service-connected lumbar spine disability is restored to 40 percent effective April 1, 2025. The remaining issues of increased ratings are remanded.
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