The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the inadequacy of a VA examination in assessing his cervical spine disability, specifically regarding functional loss due to pain.
The deciding factor: The July 2017 VA exam did not adequately consider the Veteran’s functional loss due to pain and other symptoms.
- Claimed conditions
- cervical spine degenerative joint disease (DJD)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 7, 2020
- Citation
- 20001060
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted initial ratings for cervical spine DJD, right and left upper extremity radiculopathy, lumbar DJD, and right lower extremity radiculopathy, but denied higher ratings for right hip limitation of flexion and extension.
- Denied
The Board denied increased disability ratings for the Veteran's right and left foot disabilities, migraine headaches, cervical spine degenerative joint disease, and posttraumatic stress disorder at any point during the appeal period.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for cervical spine degenerative joint disease, right heel pain, left heel pain, right hip strain, and left hip osteoarthritis.,The Veteran's cervical spine disability is not related to his military service.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, effective from the date of the February 2025 rating decision.
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This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.