The Board has reopened the claim of service connection for cervical strain and remanded all other issues due to insufficient evidence. The Veteran's current neck disorder, arthritis, IVDS, and umbilical hernia are being evaluated.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner did not address whether arthritis or IVDS had their onset in or are otherwise related to service, or the Veteran’s contention that he injured his neck at the same time he injured his back during service in December 1972.
- Claimed conditions
- cervical strain, cervical degenerative disc disease (DDD), arthritis of the cervical spine, intervertebral disc syndrome (IVDS), umbilical hernia, chronic urticaria
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 18, 2018
- Citation
- 18143252
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 18143252.
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 veteran's claims for increased ratings and remanded several issues, including service connection for stomach pain.
- Partly granted
The Board granted higher ratings for the Veteran's service-connected carpal tunnel syndrome and cubital tunnel syndrome of both upper extremities, but remanded claims for service connection for sinusitis, calcified lymph nodes on the lungs, and cervical strain.
- Dismissed
The appeals for restoration of ratings and for a higher disability rating were dismissed as the April 2025 rating decision did not make final decisions on these issues.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for hypertension as it was not present during service, was not manifested to a compensable degree within one year of separation from active service and is not otherwise related to service. The claims for service connection for a cervical strain and coccyx bone fracture are remanded.
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