The Board has determined that additional development is needed to determine the nature and etiology of the Veteran's diagnosed cervical and lumbar spine disabilities, as the previous VA examinations were inadequate in addressing all documented complaints of spine symptomatology during service.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner’s opinions are based on incomplete or inaccurate factual premises due to a lack of consideration of the Veteran's in-service complaints and post-service symptoms.
- Claimed conditions
- degenerative joint disease of the thoracic spine, intervertebral disc syndrome (IVDS) with radiculopathy, degenerative disc disease of the cervical spine, spinal stenosis, spondylosis of the cervical spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 9, 2019
- Citation
- 19136217
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,374 · Granted: 19% (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 19136217.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran's service connection claims for degenerative disc disease, intervertebral disc syndrome, spinal stenosis, and bilateral lower extremity sciatica have been granted as they are related to his active duty service.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's back disability, diagnosed as lumbar strain, spinal stenosis and degenerative disc disease (DDD) of the lumbar spine, is causally related to service. As such, service connection for this condition is granted.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss are granted as service-connected. The Veteran's cervical spine disability is remanded for further examination to determine the current severity of his condition.
- Granted
The Veteran's degenerative arthritis with intervertebral disc syndrome to include spinal stenosis and lumbar scoliosis, right knee total arthroplasty, and left knee strain are all granted service connection as directly related to his military service.
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