The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen the Veteran's claim for service connection of a neck condition. The case is remanded due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the etiology of the Veteran's current neck disability.
The deciding factor: The VA examination provided in October 2016 was inadequate as it did not consider the Veteran’s lay statements and the February 2017 Neurology Consult Note, which noted a history of injury during service loading missiles. The Board finds that further development is necessary to address the etiology of the current neck disability.
- Claimed conditions
- neck condition
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 25, 2019
- Citation
- 19132341
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 service connection, higher ratings, and earlier effective dates, as well as dismissed his claim for a TDIU.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for various conditions, including a back condition, right and left lower extremity sciatic nerve radiculopathy, neck condition, upper extremity radiculopathy, bilateral flatfoot, right foot plantar fasciitis, and right ankle pain, as the current evidence is inadequate to make a decision.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for a back condition, neck condition, bilateral hearing loss, and an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include insomnia disorder. The claims for the remaining conditions were remanded.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for migraine headaches as secondary to the Veteran's asthma with sinusitis, but denied service connection for a low back sprain and plantar fasciitis. The claim for a neck condition was dismissed.
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