The Board has remanded the cases for further development and consideration, including obtaining an addendum opinion regarding the nature and etiology of the Veteran's lumbar spine disability. The issues of service connection for a cervical spine disability, lumbosacral strain with degenerative arthritis, and right leg disability (diagnosed as sciatica/neuropathy) are pending.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the June 2019 VA medical opinion failed to address evidence of continuity of symptomatology and/or provide an adequate explanation for why the lumbosacral strain with degenerative arthritis was unrelated to service. Therefore, an addendum opinion addressing these matters should be obtained on remand.
- Claimed conditions
- cervical spine disability, lumbosacral strain with degenerative arthritis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 24, 2020
- Citation
- 20049459
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 20049459.
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 the claims of service connection for cervical spine and skin rash disabilities, finding that there is no evidence linking these conditions to active military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the claims for miscarriage, cervical spine disability, lumbar spine disability, and right elbow disability due to insufficient examination opinions and incomplete service history verification.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the claims for service connection for cervical and thoracolumbar spine disabilities due to a predecisional duty to assist error. The Veteran's past medical history needs to be considered in the new examination.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for sleep apnea and cervical spine disability due to potential service connection issues related to obesity, service-connected disabilities, and other factors.
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