The veteran is seeking service connection for a thoracic spine disability, which he claims is related to his service-connected cervical spine disability. The Board has ordered additional development of the medical evidence and will consider both direct and secondary service connection.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner's opinion was unclear regarding whether the symptoms during service were indicative of a current thoracic spine disorder.
- Claimed conditions
- thoracic spine disability, traumatic arthritis of the cervical spine
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 10, 2005
- Citation
- 0503470
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 0503470.
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 a right shoulder disability and remanded the claims for lumbar spine, thoracic spine, right hip, left knee, right knee, left ankle, right ankle, and bilateral foot disabilities.
- Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for a thoracic spine disability and remanded the claims for bilateral hip, left sciatic radicular pain, headaches, and cervicothoracic spine disabilities.
- Dismissed
The appeal regarding CUE in the June 2014 rating decision to deny service connection for cervical and thoracic spine disabilities was dismissed due to an improper concurrent election of review.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for cervical spine, thoracic spine, TBI, and dyspnea to schedule VA examinations.
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