The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for lumbar spine disease, a skin disease (likely due to sun exposure), and scars. The reasons include insufficient rationale in previous opinions and the need for additional medical examinations.
The deciding factor: Previous opinions lacked sufficient rationale and were based on the absence of contemporaneous medical records, which is not fatal to a service connection claim.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbar spine disease, skin disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 21, 2022
- Citation
- 22016050
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 22016050.
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 denied the veteran's claims for an initial compensable rating for hypertension, service connection for sleep apnea as secondary to PTSD, and a total disability rating based on individual unemployability. The claims for service connection for left shoulder tendonitis, right shoulder pain, and lumbar spine disease were remanded.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remanded the claims for service connection for skin disease and interstitial cystitis with voiding dysfunction. The Veteran's service was from June 1986 to June 1990 and January 1991 to March 1991.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for lumbar spine arthritis and disc disease, skin disease, migraine headaches, and fibromyalgia due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error. The Veteran's lay statements regarding service experiences will be considered in the medical opinions.
- Granted
The appeals seeking increased ratings for the lumbar spine, skin disease, bilateral upper extremity carpal tunnel syndrome, and bilateral lower extremity sciatic radulopathy are dismissed.,The appeal to reopen a claim of service connection for OSA is granted. Service connection for OSA is now established.,The appeal to reopen a claim of service connection for sinusitis is granted. Service connection for sinusitis is now established.
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