The Board has denied service connection for low back strain with mild degenerative changes, and the Veteran's blackout spells (syncope) are being remanded. Service connection for migraine headaches is also being remanded.,Service connection for low back strain was denied due to a lack of evidence linking the current condition to an in-service injury or disease. The Board found that the Veteran's current back pain is more likely related to obesity, age, and deconditioning.
The deciding factor: The evidence does not support a finding that the low back strain began during service or was caused by an in-service injury.,Service connection for migraine headaches cannot be established due to insufficient medical evidence linking the current condition to service. The Veteran's blackout spells are being remanded as there is conflicting information regarding their onset.
- Claimed conditions
- low back strain, blackout spells (syncope), migraine headaches
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 13, 2024
- Citation
- A24074331
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 713 · Granted: 31% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 A24074331.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for bilateral hearing loss, migraine headaches, and PTSD due to additional development of records and examination.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the cases for additional development due to incomplete medical records and insufficient opinions regarding the relationship between service, including a stick injury in England, and current left eye disability (including amblyopia and cataracts) as well as migraine headaches.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew all his appeals, including the one for an increased rating for low back strain.
- Granted
The Veteran's migraine headaches are productive of very frequent, completely prostrating and prolonged attacks capable of producing severe economic inadaptability. The Board has granted a 50 percent disability rating for the Veteran's service-connected migraine headaches.
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