The Board has determined that a remand is necessary to obtain a competent and credible medical opinion regarding the Veteran's left arm disability, as the previous examination was inadequate.
The deciding factor: The previous VA examiner did not provide a thorough analysis of the Veteran's left arm disability, including considering his lay statements and the relationship between his service-connected spine disabilities and the current disability.
- Claimed conditions
- left arm radiculopathy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 2, 2017
- Citation
- 1749598
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 1749598.
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.
- Denied
The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of left arm radiculopathy and therefore, service connection for this condition is denied.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the issue of entitlement to service connection for left arm radiculopathy due to an inadequate VA examination.
- Granted
The Board grants service connection for a neck condition, left and right arm radiculopathy as secondary to the neck condition, a low back condition, left and right leg radiculopathy as secondary to the low back condition, a headache condition as secondary to the neck condition, and a right shoulder condition.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for sinusitis, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and an acquired psychiatric disorder but denied service connection for a neck condition, left arm radiculopathy, low back condition, left leg radiculopathy, and a right knee condition.
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