The Board remands the veteran's claim for a VA examination to determine if her TMD disability was aggravated by her service-connected cervical spine disability.
The deciding factor: The VHA opinion indicated that the presence of a cervical spine injury often leads to changes in posture, which may increase TMD. Since no physician has been asked to examine the veteran and provide an opinion as to whether the veteran's service-connected cervical spine disability aggravates her malocclusion and TMD, the Board finds that the veteran must be provided a VA medical examination.
- Claimed conditions
- residuals of an acquired malocclusion, tempomandibular joint dysfunction (TMD)
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 25, 2008
- Citation
- 0813829
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
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This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.