The Board remands the claim for service connection for a lumbar spine disorder to secure additional service records and private treatment records, and to obtain an adequate medical opinion.
The deciding factor: The April 2018 VA examiner mischaracterized the Veteran's service and the September 2023 VA opinion is inadequate as it is based solely on the absence of contemporaneous medical evidence or that fails to consider lay statements.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbar spine disorder
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 19, 2024
- Citation
- 24002963
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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew his claims for service connection for a lumbar spine disorder, diabetes mellitus, and bilateral diabetic neuropathy.
- Dismissed
The Board denied the veteran's appeal for timely filing of an appeal request, dismissing the attempted appeal.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for various disorders, including a lumbar spine disorder, left elbow disorder, and others, to correct duty to assist errors.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the matter of entitlement to service connection for a lumbar spine disorder due to a need for an additional medical opinion.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.