The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional examinations and evaluations to address the severity of her cervical spine condition, as well as her right arm, bilateral hand, and bilateral upper extremity conditions. The VA will need to obtain updated medical records and conduct new examinations to determine the current nature and extent of these disabilities.
The deciding factor: The existing evidence is insufficient for a proper evaluation of the Veteran's cervical spine disability and related upper extremity conditions due to inadequate examination reports that did not consider all relevant factors, including flare-ups and functional loss.
- Claimed conditions
- Cervical spine osteoarthritis with spurring, stenosis, annular tear, and decreased disc height, Right arm condition (to include as secondary to cervical spine condition), Left hand decreased grip, Right hand decreased grip, Left upper extremity radiculopathy, Right upper extremity radiculopathy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 14, 2019
- Citation
- 19185489
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 3,038 · Granted: 30% (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 19185489.
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 the Veteran's claim for service connection for a cervical spine disability with left upper extremity radiculopathy, finding that there was no evidence of an in-service injury or chronic condition. The Board concluded that the Veteran did not meet the criteria for direct service connection.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation, and the Board has granted a total disability rating based on individual unemployability.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for special monthly compensation based on the need for regular aid and attendance due to service-connected disabilities has been granted. The Board found that the Veteran requires assistance with eating, dressing, hygiene needs, medication management, housekeeping, meal preparation, and laundry.
- Dismissed
The Board has dismissed the Veteran's appeals for earlier effective dates on all issues related to his service-connected conditions.
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