The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient medical opinion regarding the relationship between the Veteran's cervical strain and his service-connected lumbar spine condition, as well as the onset of any diagnosed arthritis within one year post-service.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner did not address the issue of potential aggravation or the timing of any arthritis diagnosis, which is necessary to determine if service connection can be granted.
- Claimed conditions
- Cervical spine condition
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 29, 2019
- Citation
- 19189976
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,890 · Granted: 32% (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 19189976.
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 has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for cervical spine condition and left shoulder condition due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error, as VA failed to provide the Veteran with VA examinations and medical opinions to assess the nature and etiology of his conditions.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection for a cervical spine condition was granted as new and relevant evidence has been received. The case is remanded to obtain additional medical records, provide a VA examination, and determine the etiology of the Veteran's cervical spine condition.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the cases for further development and consideration due to inadequate opinions regarding the Veteran's cervical spine condition and TBI. The VA will obtain an adequate opinion on both issues.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claim for service connection for a cervical spine condition due to new evidence submitted since the last decision. The VA examinations provided conflicting opinions regarding the etiology of the Veteran's cervical spine condition, and a new examination is needed.
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