The Veteran seeks service connection for a chronic neck disability, which he claims is secondary to his service-connected low back disability. The Board has remanded the case for further consideration due to the need for a VA examination and opinion regarding the relationship between the claimed neck disability and the service-connected low back disability.
The deciding factor: The claim requires an evaluation of whether there is a 50 percent or better probability that the Veteran's chronic neck disability is attributable to his service-connected DJD of the thoracolumbar spine, specifically if it is proximately due to or aggravated by this condition.
- Claimed conditions
- chronic neck disability
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 19, 2012
- Citation
- 1239607
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 1239607.
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 denied a rating in excess of 20 percent for the Veteran's right shoulder disability and granted service connection for a chronic neck disability.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection for a skin disability, psychiatric disability (other specified trauma or stressor related disorder), chronic neck disability, chronic back disability, IBS, and vertigo is granted. The claims for service connection for the neck and back disabilities are remanded.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate medical opinions and insufficient rationale for the findings. The Veteran's chronic neck disability is being reviewed again with a new examination by an examiner other than those who examined him in March 2016 and October 2017.
- Denied
The Board found that the Veteran's current chronic neck disability was not present during active service and did not manifest to a compensable degree within one year of separation. The most probative evidence also showed that the condition is not related to his active service or secondary to any service-connected disability.
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