The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for cervical spine disability and right lower extremity radiculopathy due to insufficient examination findings, necessitating further evaluation.
The deciding factor: The VA examinations were inadequate as they did not include joint testing for pain on both active and passive motion, in weight bearing and non-weight bearing, which is required by the Court's decision in Correia v. McDonald, 28 Vet. App. 158 (2016).
- Claimed conditions
- cervical spine strain with degenerative joint disease (DJD), right lower extremity radiculopathy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- December 20, 2018
- Citation
- 18159848
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 18159848.
What this means for you
A remand sends an issue back for more development, often a new examination or missing records. It does not award the benefit or decide the final outcome. The original decision explains the additional work ordered.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals were dismissed due to the death of the appellant. The issues related to service connection for various conditions and disability ratings.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has granted earlier effective dates for the grant of service connection for middle and index trigger finger/stenosing tenosynovitis of the right hand, left lower extremity radiculopathy, and right lower extremity radiculopathy. The earliest effective date is June 30, 2012, for the right hand condition and April 22, 2016, for bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has granted service connection for lumbar spine degenerative arthritis and DDD, as well as right and left lower extremity radiculopathy secondary to the now service-connected lumbar spine condition. The decision is based on a finding of relative equipoise in the evidence regarding whether these conditions are related to service.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for left and right lower extremity radiculopathy, finding that the evidence did not meet the criteria for a disability rating greater than 10 percent.
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