The Board has determined that further development is necessary before the Veteran's claims for service connection for low back and right knee disabilities can be adjudicated. The RO should request the Veteran's service treatment records for his periods of active duty from February 1987 to July 1990, verify his period of service in the Army Reserves, and schedule him for VA examinations to address the relationship between his current disabilities and service.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the April 2015 addendum opinions were inadequate as they did not consider the Veteran's lay testimony regarding continuity of symptomatology during service. The RO is therefore required to request additional records, verify service dates, and schedule VA examinations for further evaluation.
- Claimed conditions
- Low back disability, Right knee disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- September 3, 2022
- Citation
- 22050509
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 22050509.
What this means for you
A remand sends an issue back for more development, often a new examination or missing records. It does not award the benefit or decide the final outcome. The original decision explains the additional work ordered.
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 service connection for a low back disability and an increased rating for his acquired psychiatric disorder. The Board found that there was no evidence linking the current disabilities to military service.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected low back disability alone does not prevent him from securing and following a substantially gainful occupation.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a low back disability and bilateral hip disability, finding that there was no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for increased disability evaluation and effective dates are being remanded due to the need for a new VA examination to address the severity of his low back disability, including whether he has experienced incapacitating episodes of IVDS.
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