The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for further development due to a lack of compliance with prior remand instructions regarding a VA examination by a neurosurgeon.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the previous VA examination did not comply with the June 2014 remand directives, specifically lacking documentation of the examiner’s credentials and being unclear whether the examiner was a neurosurgeon.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative disc disease (DDD) of the cervical spine, status post C6-7 discectomy, Left upper extremity radiculopathy, Right occipital neuralgia, Left occipital neuralgia
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 8, 2020
- Citation
- 20065771
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.
- Partly granted
The Board denied an initial compensable rating for a residual scar from cervical fusion on the basis of disfigurement and granted an initial 10 percent rating based on pain. The Board also denied initial ratings in excess of 20 percent for intervertebral disc syndrome of the cervical spine with spinal fusion and stenosis, as well as right and left upper extremity radiculopathy.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for additional development, including obtaining private treatment records and scheduling VA examinations to assess the severity of the Veteran's disabilities from May 7, 2013, to August 5, 2019.
- Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and remanded the claims for other specified depressive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, somatic symptom disorder, alcohol use disorder, left hip condition, left knee condition, left lower extremity radiculopathy, left upper extremity radiculopathy, right hip condition, right knee condition, right lower extremity radiculopathy, right upper extremity radiculopathy, shin splints, left leg, shin splints, right leg, and traumatic brain injury (TBI) for further development.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for a left ankle disorder and assigned initial ratings of 40 percent, but no higher, for right upper extremity radiculopathy and 30 percent, but no higher, for left upper extremity radiculopathy.
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