The Board has decided to remand the claim of service connection for lumbosacral arthritis due to a duty to assist error. The Veteran's records, including his military history and treatment records, need to be obtained to determine if his back pain is related to service.
The deciding factor: The medical opinion provided prior to the March 2023 rating decision on appeal was inadequate as it did not consider the Veteran's reserve service and incomplete service treatment records.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbosacral arthritis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 4, 2024
- Citation
- A24028785
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 A24028785.
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 service connection for lumbosacral arthritis, finding the evidence did not support a link to service. Service connection was granted for hernia, with the condition first identified after separation from service.
- Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for hypertension and remanded the claims for bilateral hand, hip, knee, and lumbosacral arthritis to provide further development.
- Granted
The Veteran is granted a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities from December 6, 2023.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for service connection for lumbosacral arthritis and hernia have been reopened, but the Board has determined that additional evidence is needed to make a determination on these claims.
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