The Board has decided to remand both the neck disability and left knee disability claims due to new evidence indicating worsening of symptoms, including neurological abnormalities. The Veteran's statements about difficulty swallowing related to his neck surgery have also been considered.
The deciding factor: New evidence indicates that the Veteran’s conditions have worsened since the last examination, necessitating further evaluation.
- Claimed conditions
- cervical spine degenerative joint disease (neck disability), left knee status post anterior cruciate ligament repairs (left knee disability)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 8, 2020
- Citation
- 20065619
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 882 · Granted: 17% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 20065619.
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 Veteran's claim for compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 for spinal stenosis of the lumbar spine was denied, and his claims for service connection for cervical spine degenerative joint disease (neck disability), left elbow laceration, and bilateral hearing loss were remanded.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that there are outstanding records relating to the Veteran's cervical spine and knee disabilities, and that records previously submitted by the Veteran were incomplete. The Board directed the AOJ to request the Veteran authorize the release of any outstanding records relating to his surgeries and subsequent physical therapy.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining updated VA treatment records and arranging for an orthopedic examination to assess the severity of the Veteran's neck, right and left ankle, and left elbow disabilities.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
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