The Veteran's claims for higher initial evaluations and earlier effective dates are being remanded due to the need for additional examinations.,The Veteran is also facing issues related to a TDIU, DEA benefits, and SMC at the housebound rate.
The deciding factor: Additional medical examination is required to provide informed opinions regarding the severity of the Veteran's service-connected conditions and their effective dates.
- Claimed conditions
- Cervical spine degenerative joint/disc disease (DJD/DDD), Left upper extremity (LUE) radiculopathy, Right upper extremity (RUE) radiculopathy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 24, 2019
- Citation
- 19180497
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,240 · Granted: 28% (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 19180497.
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 an initial rating in excess of 50 percent for generalized anxiety disorder and an initial rating in excess of 30 percent for paroxysmal atrial fibrillation post ablation, finding the evidence did not support a higher rating. The claims for service connection for cervical spine disorder, left upper extremity radiculopathy, and right upper extremity radiculopathy were remanded.
- Dismissed
The appeal was dismissed due to untimely filing of the Notice of Disagreement (NOD) for claims related to an increased rating and service connection, as well as lack of jurisdiction over a previously granted claim for sinusitis.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for left and right upper extremity radiculopathy, finding that there was no evidence linking these conditions to the Veteran's period of military service or his service-connected low back disability.
- Partly granted
The Board granted the restoration of a 20 percent rating for cervical strain from October 1, 2024, and denied compensable ratings for bilateral hearing loss, scars on both knees, upper extremity radiculopathies, and service connection for wrist disorders.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
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.