The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to obtain additional medical records and a new VA examination. The examiner will provide opinions on whether the Veteran's cervical spine condition was caused or aggravated by his service-connected low back injury.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner needs to provide clear opinions regarding the etiology of the Veteran's cervical spine condition, specifically addressing whether it is at least as likely as not that any currently diagnosed cervical spine condition (cervical disc disease and cervical degenerative joint disease) was caused or aggravated by his service-connected residuals of a low back injury with a history of a herniated nucleus pulposus.
- Claimed conditions
- cervical disc disease, cervical degenerative joint disease
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 2, 2014
- Citation
- 1414170
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 1414170.
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 Board has decided to remand the claims of service connection for cervical degenerative joint disease and cervical radiculopathy, as these issues are related to a previously service-connected lumbar spine condition. The Veteran's claim will be reconsidered with new medical opinions provided.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for cervical degenerative disc disease, cervical degenerative joint disease, and bilateral upper and lower extremity radiculopathy as the probative evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were related to the Veteran's active military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for cervical disc disease due to an insufficient VA opinion and a need to obtain additional medical records.
- Granted
The veteran's service connection claim for cervical strain, spondylosis, cervical degenerative joint disease, and bilateral cervical radiculopathy C5-C6 was granted. The Board found that the veteran has a current neck disability with an onset in service.
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