The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient evidence and inadequate medical opinions. The AOJ is instructed to obtain missing treatment records and provide a VA clinician with an opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's neck and lower back conditions.
The deciding factor: The decision was remanded because the AOJ failed to make reasonable efforts to ensure all relevant treatment records were obtained, and the medical opinions provided did not provide sufficient information to decide the claims at this time.
- Claimed conditions
- Cervical strain (neck condition), Lumbosacral strain, degenerative arthritis (lower back condition)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 9, 2026
- Citation
- A26002390
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation A26002390.
What this means for you
A remand sends an issue back for more development, often a new examination or missing records. It does not award the benefit or decide the final outcome. The original decision explains the additional work ordered.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for an initial disability rating in excess of 30 percent for persistent depressive disorder, and service connection for lumbosacral strain (back condition) and cervical strain (neck condition), to obtain additional evidence.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for sinusitis, cervical strain, lumbosacral strain, right knee strain, and migraines as secondary to the service-connected cervical strain.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that additional examinations and development are necessary to properly adjudicate the Veteran's claims for service connection.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
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.