The Board has determined that the August 2023 VA contract examiner's opinion is inadequate and remands the case for a new examination to address the Veteran's lay statements of onset during service and continuity of symptomatology.
The deciding factor: The August 2023 VA contract examiner provided an inadequate negative nexus opinion based on a lack of continuity of care, which is different from continuity of symptoms. The examiner did not consider the Veteran's lay statements regarding her back pain.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative changes of the thoracolumbar spine, Sacralization of the L5 vertebra
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 11, 2026
- Citation
- A26021854
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 A26021854.
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 remands the claims for a new VA examination to determine the current level of severity of the Veteran's disabilities.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for degenerative changes of the thoracolumbar spine and cervical spine disability, finding that these conditions began during active service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that additional development is needed for the Veteran's claims, including obtaining medical records and scheduling examinations. The issues of rating cervical spine disability, thoracolumbar spine disability, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, skin disability due to chemical exposure, left hip disability, and TDIU are being remanded.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for his thoracolumbar spine disability was denied. The RO granted a 20 percent rating effective October 7, 2013.
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