The Veteran's appeal for a higher rating for his service-connected cervical strain degenerative disc disease (DDD) is remanded due to an inadequate VA examination prior to the January 2019 decision. A new VA examination is required to assess the severity of his condition, including during flare-ups and after repeated use over time.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner's opinion was insufficient as it did not consider whether there were additional functional losses due to flare-ups or repetitive use without resorting to speculation.
- Claimed conditions
- cervical strain degenerative disc disease (DDD)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 17, 2019
- Citation
- A19003611
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,240 · Granted: 28% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 A19003611.
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
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