The Veteran's neck, upper back, and shoulder disabilities are being reviewed for service connection as secondary to his service-connected lumbar strain with degenerative disc disease of the thoracolumbar spine. The rating for his lumbar strain is also under review.
The deciding factor: The claim requires additional medical examination to determine if the Veteran's current neck, upper back, and shoulder disabilities are related to his service-connected lumbar strain or aggravated by it.
- Claimed conditions
- neck, upper back, shoulder
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 5, 2011
- Citation
- 1113303
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 1113303.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected neck, back, and migraines required care or assistance from his wife on a regular basis to protect him from hazards in his daily environment.
- Dismissed
The Board has dismissed the Veteran's appeals because they were not filed within one year of the rating decisions, and no good cause was provided for the delay.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for TDIU prior to January 30, 2018 is dismissed as the Board has already granted TDIU from April 29, 2015 based on the earliest possible effective date.
- Remanded (sent back)
New evidence has been received to reconsider the service connection claims for various disabilities, including right arm, head, left knee, left shoulder, lower back, neck, and right foot. The Board is remanding these cases for further review.
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