The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for nerve disabilities of the upper and lower extremities as secondary to service-connected neck or back disabilities due to a lack of adequate opinion regarding aggravation.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner did not provide an opinion on whether the Veteran's diabetic peripheral neuropathy was aggravated by her cervical spine and lumbar spine disabilities, which is required for a proper determination of service connection.
- Claimed conditions
- nerve disability of the right upper extremity, nerve disability of the left upper extremity, nerve disability of the right lower extremity, nerve disability of the left lower extremity
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 24, 2020
- Citation
- 20062975
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 20062975.
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 Veteran's claims for an earlier effective date for service connection of nerve disabilities in both upper extremities, as the evidence did not support a diagnosis prior to July 30, 2021.
- Denied
The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a neck disability and a nerve disability of the left upper extremity, finding that there is no evidence to support these claims. The Board concluded that the current disabilities are not related to service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for multiple disabilities, including neck, back, shoulder, and ankle conditions. The issues are related to whether these conditions began during or were otherwise caused by her military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the cases for a new VA examination to determine if the Veteran's bilateral upper extremity nerve disabilities are related to his military service, specifically toxic exposure. The examiner must consider all potential exposures and their combined effects.
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