The Veteran's cervical spine disability is being remanded for an additional medical opinion to determine if it is at least as likely as not related to the in-service injury from a rock hitting him in 1985.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner will need to review the MRI and assess whether the location of the scarring on the Veteran's neck aligns with the site of his current cervical spine disability.
- Claimed conditions
- cervical degenerative disc disease, cervical degenerative joint disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- May 15, 2019
- Citation
- 19137686
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,329 · Granted: 31% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed 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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 19137686.
What this means for you
A remand sends an issue back for more development, often a new examination or missing records. It does not award the benefit or decide the final outcome. The original decision explains the additional work ordered.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the claims of service connection for cervical degenerative joint disease and cervical radiculopathy, as these issues are related to a previously service-connected lumbar spine condition. The Veteran's claim will be reconsidered with new medical opinions provided.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has granted effective dates of November 6, 2020 for both the TDIU and DEA benefits. The Veteran had no service-connected disabilities prior to this date.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to a lack of an adequate opinion regarding whether the Veteran's cervical spine disability is caused or aggravated by his service-connected lumbar disability.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claim for service connection for cervical spine degenerative disc disease due to insufficient evidence regarding its onset and relationship to his military service. An additional VA examination is needed to address these matters.
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