The Board has determined that additional evidence is needed to determine the etiology of the Veteran's cervical spine and thoracolumbar spine disorders, specifically whether they are related to his service-connected left leg distal fibula fracture.
The deciding factor: The existing medical opinions do not provide sufficient clarity regarding the relationship between the Veteran’s service-connected condition and his current diagnoses.
- Claimed conditions
- Cervical Spine Disorder, Thoracolumbar Spine Disorder
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 22, 2020
- Citation
- 20028035
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 20028035.
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.
- Dismissed
The appeal for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder is dismissed as the Veteran was granted service connection effective from the date of his claim.,Service connection for bilateral tinnitus is denied.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD, left shoulder disorders, right shoulder disorder, cervical spine disorder, left ankle disorder, allergic rhinitis, and bilateral knee disorders, prevented him from securing or following substantially gainful employment consistent with his education and work history. The Board granted the TDIU claim based on these conditions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to inadequate medical opinions provided in his VA examinations. The claims include tension headaches, a psychiatric disability (diagnosed as generalized anxiety disorder), a cervical spine disorder, hand tremors, a lumbosacral spine disorder, a gastrointestinal disorder, and residuals of a hydrocele.
- Denied
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and TDIU were denied as the Veteran failed to report for scheduled VA examinations without showing good cause.
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