The Board has ordered a new remand due to inadequate opinions regarding the relationship between the Veteran's back disorder and service-connected left foot hammer toes. The Veteran needs a new medical opinion on whether their back condition was caused or aggravated by their pre-existing foot condition.
The deciding factor: The decision is based on the need for updated medical opinions addressing causation and aggravation of the Veteran's back disorder due to their service-connected left foot condition.
- Claimed conditions
- chronic low back disorder, L5 disc herniation, lumbar spine with degenerative disc disease (DDD) status/post surgeries in 1986
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 22, 2023
- Citation
- 23046619
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 23046619.
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 Veteran's claim for service connection for thoracolumbar strain, finding that it began in service and is related to his military service.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for chronic low back disorder and right leg disorder, finding that the current disabilities are not causally related to service.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for a chronic low back disorder, finding that the preexisting condition was not aggravated by service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to a lack of adequate examination for rating purposes, specifically failing to evaluate functional impairment during flare-ups and not including range of motion testing in non-weight-bearing conditions.
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