The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for left shoulder disability, cervical spine disability, and right and left lower extremity radiculopathy due to incomplete information in the June 2015 SOC. The AOJ is instructed to obtain additional records and provide an addendum opinion regarding the cervical spine condition.
The deciding factor: The VA examination of the Veteran's cervical spine was not included in the June 2015 SOC, and there are conflicting medical opinions about the relationship between the Veteran's service and his current disability. The AOJ is instructed to obtain additional records and provide an addendum opinion regarding the Veteran's cervical spine condition.
- Claimed conditions
- left shoulder disability, cervical spine disability, right and left lower extremity radiculopathy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 25, 2018
- Citation
- 18137893
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 18137893.
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 denied the claims of service connection for cervical spine and skin rash disabilities, finding that there is no evidence linking these conditions to active military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has denied service connection for residuals of gallbladder removal and remanded the other claims due to insufficient evidence.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the claims for miscarriage, cervical spine disability, lumbar spine disability, and right elbow disability due to insufficient examination opinions and incomplete service history verification.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has found that remand is needed for the Veteran's claims due to duty to assist errors, including clarification of periods of service and obtaining relevant records. The Veteran will be afforded new medical examinations for each claimed disability.
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