The Veteran's claims for service connection for osteoporosis of the cervical spine and degenerative changes of the cervical spine, including as secondary to his service-connected impingement syndrome and multiple degenerative changes of the right shoulder and lumbar spine disorder, are being remanded due to inadequate examination reports and failure to provide a notice letter.
The deciding factor: The VA examinations were inadequate in addressing the etiology and aggravation aspects of the claims for secondary service connection. Additionally, the Veteran was not provided with a proper notice letter prior to re-adjudication of his claim.
- Claimed conditions
- osteoporosis of the cervical spine, degenerative changes of the cervical spine
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 16, 2019
- Citation
- 19129748
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,050 · Granted: 32% (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 19129748.
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.
- Dismissed
The appeal has been dismissed due to the Veteran's death. The claims for service connection on all listed conditions are not before the Board.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for sleep apnea, right wrist sprain, left wrist disability manifested by pain, left foot arthritis, right foot arthritis and hallux valgus, headaches, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, degenerative changes of the cervical spine, right lateral epicondylitis (claimed as right arm disability), and left upper extremity cervical radiculopathy (claimed as left arm disability and left elbow disability).
- Partly granted
The Board denied a disability rating in excess of 10 percent for left knee patellofemoral syndrome and denied a disability rating in excess of 20 percent or 30 percent for the cervical spine. However, it granted a separate 10 percent disability rating for left knee instability and a 20 percent disability rating for degenerative changes of the cervical spine prior to November 18, 2015.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for right shoulder, lumbosacral spine, right hip, and cervical spine degenerative arthritis based on new evidence. The claims for bilateral hearing loss, left wrist, and left forearm were remanded for further consideration.
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