The Board has determined that the remand of both cervical spine arthritis and left arm radiculopathy secondary to cervical spine arthritis is necessary due to insufficient exposure information provided by VA examiners.
The deciding factor: VA examiners did not consider the Veteran's frequent exposure to near-freezing water, sometimes for extended periods, as a basis for his claim of entitlement to service connection for cervical spine arthritis.
- Claimed conditions
- cervical spine arthritis, left arm radiculopathy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 23, 2019
- Citation
- 19195906
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,170 · Granted: 38% (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 19195906.
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.
- Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for a neck/cervical spine disability, finding that his current condition is at least as likely as not related to active duty service.
- Denied
The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of left arm radiculopathy and therefore, service connection for this condition is denied.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings and service connection have been dismissed as the Veteran requested to withdraw all of his appeals prior to a decision being made.
- Granted
The Veteran's cervical spine arthritis and bilateral hearing loss are granted. A rating of 40 percent or higher for lumbar contusion with myositis and lumbar spondylosis, TDIU on April 30, 2014, SMC under 38 U.S.C. § 1114(s) on April 30, 2014, and ratings in excess of 10 percent for radiculopathy are granted. The appeal is remanded for further rating determinations.
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.