The Board has remanded three issues: service connection for degenerative arthritis of the neck, residuals head injury (including headaches and dizziness), and radiculopathy of the upper extremities. The reasons are that the Veteran was not provided a Statement of Case in response to his Notice of Disagreement, and potentially favorable evidence related to these claims is intertwined with his headache claim.
The deciding factor: The Court found that the Veteran's chronic headache disability may be etiologically related to service or could be proximately due to and/or aggravated by his cervical spine disability.
- Claimed conditions
- degenerative arthritis of the neck, residuals head injury (including headaches and dizziness), raticulopathy of the upper extremities
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 11, 2018
- Citation
- 18156829
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 18156829.
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 Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD, neck scars, degenerative arthritis of the neck, and upper extremity radiculopathy, are found to be so severe that they prevent him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation. The Board has granted a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) effective from October 8, 2019.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for an earlier effective date, a higher rating for lumbosacral strain with sacroiliitis and degenerative arthritis of the neck, but granted a 20 percent rating for paralysis of the bilateral upper radicular groups beginning November 10, 2022.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for right arm radiculopathy and an initial 30 percent evaluation for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), while remanding the remaining claims.
- Partly granted
The Veteran's tinnitus is granted service connection, while the other claims are remanded for further development.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.