The Board remands the Veteran's claim for a spine disability to correct a pre-decisional duty-to-assist error, specifically to obtain worker's compensation records related to back injuries sustained on the job in the 1990s and/or 2014.
The deciding factor: A pre-decisional duty-to-assist error was found due to the failure to obtain relevant worker's compensation records that may contain information about the nature and progression of the Veteran's back disability.
- Claimed conditions
- spine disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 3, 2025
- Citation
- A25057549
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 obesity, a compensable initial rating for bilateral hearing loss disability, an increased rating for tinnitus, and an increased rating for PTSD. The issues of service connection for various disabilities were remanded.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for a spine disability, resolving reasonable doubt in the Veteran's favor.
- Dismissed
The veteran withdrew her appeal for service connection for various conditions, including right thumb deformity and pain, dental and oral numbness/tingling, lower back pain, a bilateral hip condition, left knee pain, right knee pain, polycystic ovarian syndrome, posttraumatic stress disorder, migraines, ringing in the ears, a spine disability, and sleep apnea.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a spine disability as the probative evidence did not support that it was caused by or otherwise a result of his military service.
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