The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's spine disabilities, including her cervical and lumbar spine issues. The VA needs to obtain additional medical records and conduct a new examination to determine if her current spinal conditions are related to her military service.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner is required to provide an opinion on whether the Veteran’s current spinal conditions were at least as likely as not caused by her military service, including a documented motor vehicle accident in July 2004 while she was on active duty.
- Claimed conditions
- sprained neck, back injuries
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 11, 2018
- Citation
- 18133384
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 18133384.
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.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed the veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and back injuries due to untimely filings, while remanding the claim for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) for further development.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for back injuries, lower lumbar joint and disc degeneration, a cervical spine disability, bilateral cervical radiculopathy and paresthesias of the shoulders, arms and hands, neurogenic tics, extreme loss of weight, difficulty breathing, myositis, myopathy, ALS, and headaches. The claims are being remanded for further examination to determine if these conditions are related to exposure to herbicides or jet fuel and exhaust.
- Granted
The Veteran's neck and back injuries, including dizziness, sleep problems, and numbness in the extremities, are considered to be service-connected based on direct evidence of injury during active duty.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case for further action, including scheduling a hearing before a Veterans Law Judge at the RO in Atlanta, Georgia.
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