The Veteran is seeking service connection for a cervical spine disability that he claims is secondary to his service-connected lumbar paravertebral muscle spasm. The Board has determined that additional development, including an examination and opinion regarding the etiology of the cervical spine disability, is necessary.
The deciding factor: The January 2014 VA examiner did not specifically address whether the Veteran's cervical spine disability was caused or aggravated by his service-connected lumbar disability.
- Claimed conditions
- cervical spine degenerative changes with associated mild central disc protrusions, lumbar paravertebral muscle spasm, central disk herniation at the L5-S1 level
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 25, 2017
- Citation
- 1713447
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 1713447.
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 back disability is manifested by subjective complaints of pain on motion in the lower back and flare-ups, with objective evidence of limitation of motion. The Board finds that an increased evaluation to 40 percent for the Veteran's back disability is warranted.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's headaches are at least as likely as not caused by his service-connected traumatic brain injury, and thus grants service connection for this condition.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hypertension and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology.
- Granted
The Veteran's major depressive disorder is found to be caused by his service-connected low back and radiculopathy disabilities, which prevent him from doing enjoyable activities and daily living tasks.
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