The Veteran's GERD is rated at 10 percent, but no higher. The cervical and lumbar spine disabilities are remanded for additional examinations to determine their severity.
The deciding factor: The Board found the VA examination reports inadequate due to lack of consideration of muscle spasms in both neck and lower back during the appeal period.
- Claimed conditions
- Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), Degenerative arthritis of the cervical spine, Lumbosacral strain
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 6, 2019
- Citation
- 19160943
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 19160943.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the Veteran's claims for additional VA examinations to properly evaluate the current severity of her disabilities.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the matters for additional development, including obtaining private treatment records and conducting VA examinations.
- Partly granted
The Board denied the claims for an initial compensable rating for left ear sensorineural hearing loss, service connection for a right ear hearing loss disability, and a left eye disorder. However, it granted service connection for a back disability and radiculopathy of both lower extremities as secondary to the back disability.
- Dismissed
The appeal is dismissed due to res judicata, as the issues were previously adjudicated and are now barred from further review.
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