The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further evidentiary development, including obtaining additional medical records and scheduling a VA examination to assess the severity of his cervical spine disability.
The deciding factor: Further evidence was not obtained as requested in the previous remand order, and the most recent VA examination was incomplete due to the Veteran's health condition. Additional medical records are needed, particularly those related to the Veteran's October 2015 cervical spine surgery.
- Claimed conditions
- cervical myelopathy, discectomy and fusion
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 5, 2017
- Citation
- 1756026
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 1756026.
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 Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's cervical myelopathy, herniated disc with spinal stenosis, status post anterior cervical decompression, fusion at C6-6, and intervertebral disc syndrome, finding that these conditions are related to his in-service injury.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to a lack of an adequate VA examination and opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's cervical myelopathy. The Veteran claims his service, particularly deployments in Afghanistan, contributed to his condition.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection of the Veteran's cause of death to obtain a new medical opinion addressing the Appellant's contentions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete medical records and inadequate opinions regarding the nature and etiology of the Veteran's claimed neurological condition. The AOJ is instructed to obtain additional pertinent medical records, including from Cooper University Hospital and Kennedy Health System, and to provide an adequate opinion on the nature and etiology of the Veteran's claimed neurological condition.
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