The Board has granted service connection for cervical and thoracolumbar spine conditions. However, the Veteran's bilateral upper and lower extremity radiculopathy claims are remanded due to insufficient medical opinions.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner did not provide sufficient rationale or opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's bilateral upper and lower extremity radiculopathy.
- Claimed conditions
- Cervical spine condition, Thoracolumbar spine condition
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 28, 2019
- Citation
- 19181320
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 19181320.
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.
- Dismissed
The appeal was withdrawn by the Veteran before the Board promulgated a decision.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including an acquired psychiatric disorder, tinnitus, gastrointestinal issues, foot pain, hand scars, shin splints, migraines, thoracolumbar spine condition, and respiratory condition, as the evidence did not support a finding that any of these conditions were incurred in or aggravated by active military service.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for a cervical spine condition and dismissed the claim for PTSD, while denying claims for radiculopathy of the right upper extremity, TBI rating increase, status post right knee meniscectomy rating increase, and scar rating.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, cervical spine condition, chronic headaches, chronic sinusitis, major depressive disorder (MDD), and a skin condition to fulfill statutory duties related to toxic exposure risk activities.
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