The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for thoracolumbar and cervical spine disabilities, finding that there is no evidence of a nexus between his current conditions and his active duty service.,The Board has also remanded the issues regarding PTSD and diabetes mellitus type II, as well as the right ear hearing loss disability. The Veteran's claims will be reconsidered based on additional evidence.
The deciding factor: The Board found that there was no medical evidence showing a link between the Veteran’s current thoracolumbar and cervical spine disabilities and his active duty service.,For the PTSD, diabetes mellitus type II, and right ear hearing loss disability claims, the Board has ordered additional development to obtain relevant service department records and determine if new or material evidence has been received.
- Claimed conditions
- Thoracolumbar spine disability, Cervical spine disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 9, 2020
- Citation
- 20001609
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 service connection for low back disability, cervical spine disability, and right leg nerve disability as the evidence did not support a causal relationship between these conditions and the Veteran's active service.
- Dismissed
The appeals for service connection for right ear hearing loss and a compensable evaluation for left ear hearing loss were dismissed as the Veteran withdrew his appeals at a December 2024 Board hearing. The remaining claims are being remanded for further development.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for a separate 50 percent initial rating for insomnia as secondary to tinnitus, and denied an increased rating for tinnitus. The Board also granted service connection for headache disability, low back disability, left lower extremity radiculopathy, cervical spine disability, and right upper extremity radiculopathy.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for a lumbar spine disability, a cervical spine disability, and right ear hearing loss but denied service connection for sinusitis. The left ear hearing loss claim was remanded.
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