The Board has reopened the veteran's claim for service connection for a spinal disorder diagnosed as DDD and ankylosing spondylitis. The claims of entitlement to service connection for gastroesophageal reflux esophagitis, residuals of injuries to the right arm and elbow, and increased rating for residuals of injury, fifth segment of sacrum with sprain of the sacroiliac joint are being remanded for further development.
The deciding factor: The Board has reopened the veteran's claim based on new evidence submitted since the last final denial. The claims of service connection for gastroesophageal reflux esophagitis and residuals of injuries to the right arm and elbow, as well as the increased rating claim, are being remanded for further development.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative Disc Disease (DDD) of the cervical and lumbar spine, Gastroesophageal reflux esophagitis
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 4, 2007
- Citation
- 0709821
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 0709821.
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 Veteran's claims for increased ratings for gastroesophageal reflux esophagitis, sinusitis, right knee arthroscopic surgery (status post), and left knee strain have been denied as his conditions do not warrant a rating in excess of the current 10 percent evaluations.
- Denied
The Board has determined that the submitted evidence does not raise a reasonable possibility of substantiating the claims for service connection for DDD of the cervical and lumbar spine and impotency.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's headaches are at least as likely as not caused by his service-connected traumatic brain injury, and thus grants service connection for this condition.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hypertension and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology.
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