The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate medical opinions regarding whether the Veteran's current cervical spine disability is related to service. The VA examiner failed to address the Veteran's reports of recurrent shoulder and neck pain during service and continuity of symptomatology thereafter.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner did not adequately address the Veteran’s contentions and reports of recurrent shoulder and neck pain during service and continuity of symptomatology thereafter.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative arthritis of the cervical spine with intervertebral disc syndrome (IVDS)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 4, 2019
- Citation
- 19125208
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 a 100 percent disability rating after April 1, 2023 and an increased rating in excess of 20 percent from that date due to her cervical spine disability.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities of the cervical spine, left upper extremity radiculopathy, and lumbar spine are remanded for additional examinations to assess their current severity. The Veteran is also remanded for service connection on the merits for a left wrist disability, left shoulder tendinitis, and chest pain.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, effective from the date of the February 2025 rating decision.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a medical examination to determine if the Veteran's current neck strain is related to his in-service activities.
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