The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate opinions regarding the Veteran's upper back disorder, including thoracolumbar and cervical spine disorders. The case needs further development to determine the nature and etiology of his claimed condition.
The deciding factor: The previous opinions were found to be inadequate as they did not consider the Veteran's lay statements about the onset and history of his upper back pain.
- Claimed conditions
- upper back disorder, thoracolumbar spine strain
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 28, 2023
- Citation
- 23005601
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 23005601.
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 Board has granted the Appellant's request to have his military service characterized as honorable, and has also granted service connection for various conditions including unspecified trauma and stressor related disorder with attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder, right ear hearing loss, tinnitus, scars of the left second finger and thumb, thoracolumbar spine strain, bilateral knee strains, and a right foot disorder.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection for low back and upper back disorders require further examination to determine their etiology.
- Dismissed
The appeal of the deferred claim for entitlement to service connection for sinusitis is dismissed. The claims for right hip greater trochanteric, left shoulder impingement syndrome, and thoracolumbar spine strain are remanded.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for a low back disorder but denied service connection for an upper back disorder.
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