The Board remands the claim for a new VA medical opinion to address the Veteran's statements regarding recurrent strains in service and their progression over time.
The deciding factor: The July 2020 VA addendum medical opinion did not adequately address the Veteran's statements recorded in the December 2019 VA examination, leading to an inadequate statement of reasons or bases for denying the claim.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbar spine (back) disability, to include diagnoses of lumbosacral strain and degenerative joint and disc disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 5, 2025
- Citation
- 25007577
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for tinnitus, sleep apnea, cervical spine (neck) disability, lumbar spine (back) disability, right lower extremity radiculopathy, left lower extremity radiculopathy, and erectile dysfunction. The appeal was dismissed for major depressive disorder and generalized anxiety disorder due to the grant of an unspecified depressive disorder with anxious distress.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for a right forehead scar and remanded the claims for service connection of various other disabilities, as well as a TDIU claim.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for coronary artery disease, diabetes mellitus, type II, and hypertension. The claims for tinnitus, bilateral hearing loss, and other conditions were denied or remanded.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for a lumbar spine (back) disability and left lower extremity radiculopathy, but denied service connection for a left ear hearing loss disability and a compensable initial evaluation for a right ear hearing loss disability. The claims for service connection for a left ankle disability, left knee disability, GERD, and erectile dysfunction were remanded.
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