The Board has determined that a remand is necessary to ensure proper development and consideration of the Veteran's claim for service connection due to conflicting opinions provided by medical professionals and incomplete medical records.
The deciding factor: The opinions provided by Dr. R.Z. are insufficient to establish a causal relationship between the Veteran's current upper back condition and his military service, and there is an absence of recent medical evidence in the record to support a determination on this issue.
- Claimed conditions
- upper back condition, cervical spine (neck) condition
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 6, 2018
- Citation
- 1807495
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 1807495.
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 granted the Veteran's application to readjudicate his claims for service connection for benign paroxysmal positional vertigo and a cervical spine (neck) condition. However, the AOJ did not address the merits of the claim on remand due to insufficient evidence. The Veteran should be provided with an examination to determine if his neck condition is related to his military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for headaches, neck pain, and upper back conditions due to a duty to assist error. The Veteran contends that his current disabilities are related to an in-service injury during a softball game.
- Denied
The Veteran's bilateral foot condition, cervical spine condition, and left ankle condition were not shown as chronic in service or within the applicable presumptive period. The evidence does not establish continuity of symptomatology since service.,The Veteran's cervical spine condition was not shown as chronic in service or within the applicable presumptive period. The evidence does not establish continuity of symptomatology since service.,The Veteran's left ankle condition was not shown as chronic in service or within the applicable presumptive period. The evidence does not establish continuity of symptomatology since service.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for tinnitus and denied service connection for diabetes mellitus, type II. The remaining claims for service connection were remanded.
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