The Veteran's claim for service connection for an upper back disorder, including cervical spine disability, is being remanded due to the need for additional development and examination.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner needs to review the claims file, conduct a comprehensive orthopedic examination, and provide an opinion on whether any current cervical or thoracic spine disorder began during service or is otherwise linked to any incident of service, including injuries sustained while parachuting from an aircraft.
- Claimed conditions
- upper back disorder, cervical spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 7, 2010
- Citation
- 1017019
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 1017019.
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 Board denied service connection for multiple conditions, including cervical spine, chronic fatigue, and various nerve damages, as the evidence did not support a finding of a current disability related to in-service events.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for a VA examination to address service connection and rating issues.
- Granted
The Board granted a 10 percent disability rating for the Veteran's service-connected cervical spine, finding that there was functional loss due to pain causing additional disability beyond that reflected on range of motion measurements.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for anxiety, depression, headaches, a neck disorder, an upper back disorder, a lower back disorder, and a left arm disorder as there was no evidence of current disabilities during the appeal period.
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