The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for his service-connected cervical spine degenerative disc disease is being remanded due to a pre-decisional error in considering the impact of his lumbar spine medications on his cervical spine symptoms.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner did not adequately consider the impact of the Veteran’s lumbar spine medications on his cervical spine symptoms, leading to a potential underestimation of his disability severity.
- Claimed conditions
- cervical spine degenerative disc disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 5, 2019
- Citation
- A19003350
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 A19003350.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for a higher rating in excess of the current ratings for various musculoskeletal conditions.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for multiple musculoskeletal conditions and a psychiatric condition, all of which were determined to be caused by an in-service injury.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings and remanded several service connection claims.
- Partly granted
The Board denied increased disability evaluations for several conditions, dismissed claims for others, and remanded two issues for further development.
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