The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for neck and back disorders due to inadequate opinions from a VA examiner. The new addendum opinion is needed to determine if these conditions are related to his active duty service, including as secondary to a service-connected disability.
The deciding factor: The previous opinions were insufficient and do not address the relationship between the Veteran's service-connected knee disabilities and his neck and back disorders.
- Claimed conditions
- neck disorder, back disorder
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 2, 2019
- Citation
- 19100174
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 earlier effective dates and increased ratings, as well as higher levels of special monthly compensation.
- Dismissed
The veteran withdrew the appeal for all service connection and rating issues, and the Board has no jurisdiction to review these matters.
- Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for pes planus (flat feet) and remanded several other issues, including service connection for various disorders and increased ratings for the right knee. The Board granted a 20 percent rating for right knee instability.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for a neck disorder, hair loss, PTSD, bilateral foot disorder, bilateral arm numbness, and restless body syndrome due to pre-decisional duty to assist errors.
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