The Veteran seeks service connection for cervical and lumbar spine disorders, alleging in-service trauma. The case is being remanded to obtain a medical opinion regarding the etiology of his current spinal conditions.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner did not adequately address the July 1997 reserve service record in rendering an opinion on the Veteran's current cervical and lumbar spine disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- cervical spine degenerative disc disease, status post discectomy and fusion, lumbar spine disorder, to include degenerative disc disease, facet arthritis, and central canal stenosis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 9, 2013
- Citation
- 1311737
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 1311737.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development to verify the nature of his service in July 1997 and to obtain a clarifying addendum opinion from the May 2013 VA examiner regarding the meaning of 'similar episodes in the past'.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining VA and private treatment records, verifying the nature of the Appellant's reserve service in July 1997, and providing a VA examination to determine if his current cervical spine and lumbar spine disorders are related to his military service.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected coronary artery disease, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the severity of his condition.
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