The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for cervical spine and right shoulder disorders due to insufficient opinions from the January 2020 VA examiner. The new opinions must consider the Veteran's reports of continuity of symptoms since his in-service injuries, as well as any relevant medical records.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the initial opinions were based solely on the lack of post-service treatment records and did not adequately address the Veteran's lay statements regarding symptom onset and continuity.
- Claimed conditions
- Cervical spine disorder, Right shoulder disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 10, 2020
- Citation
- 20072602
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 increased rating for allergic rhinitis and remanded the claims for cervical spine, hip, thigh, and hip extension disorders for further development.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss, hypertension, traumatic brain injury (TBI), and a right shoulder disorder as there was no probative evidence of current disabilities as defined by VA.
- Partly granted
The appeal was denied for service connection of a cervical spine disorder, and several claims were remanded for further development.
- Partly granted
The Board denied an initial rating higher than 10 percent for residual scars from basal cell carcinoma and remanded the claim for service connection for a cervical spine disorder.
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This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.