The Veteran's claim of service connection for a spinal cord disability (with tetraplegia) is granted to reopen, and the case is remanded for further development including an examination and determination regarding willful misconduct.
The deciding factor: The evidence received since the last denial indicates that the Veteran’s spinal cord injury may have been secondary to his service-connected psychiatric disability (PTSD), raising a reasonable possibility of substantiating the claim. However, there remains uncertainty about whether the accident resulting in the injury was due to willful misconduct.
- Claimed conditions
- Spinal cord injury, Tetraplegia
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 13, 2019
- Citation
- 19146222
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 found that the veteran's injuries from the November 15, 1998 motor vehicle accident were due to his own willful misconduct and not incurred in line of duty.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for sarcoidosis as new and relevant evidence has been received since the previous denial.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for tinnitus to correct a duty to assist error, as the Veteran's lay statements regarding onset and continuity of symptoms were not adequately considered in the previous decision.
- Dismissed
The appeal for service connection for a left-hand condition is dismissed as the Veteran was granted service connection for mononeuropathy to the left hand fourth finger with parasthesia of skin in an October 2025 rating decision.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.