The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for additional development due to inadequate VA medical opinions and missing translations of documents. The issues include service connection for cervical spine degenerative disc disease, left lower extremity lumbar radiculopathy, bilateral upper extremity peripheral neuropathy, and bilateral upper extremity cervical radiculopathy.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the previous VA medical opinions were inadequate and that there was missing documentation. Therefore, additional development is needed to provide new opinions on the etiology of the Veteran's conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- cervical spine degenerative disc disease (intervertebral disc syndrome), left lower extremity lumbar radiculopathy, bilateral upper extremity peripheral neuropathy, bilateral upper extremity cervical radiculopathy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 4, 2020
- Citation
- 20077090
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 20077090.
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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals for service connection were denied due to the late filing of the appeal requests, and thus the appeals are dismissed.
- Denied
The Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including a left wrist fracture, bilateral hearing loss, Type II diabetes, bilateral glaucoma, OSA, cervical disc herniation, and other musculoskeletal issues are denied.,Service connection is not established for any of the claimed conditions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for service connection are remanded due to a duty to assist error. The Board finds that the Veteran may have been exposed to toxic substances during his service, including RF radiation and asbestos. However, VA did not obtain an opinion regarding the relationship between these exposures and the claimed conditions.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal of the increased rating for bilateral hearing loss was erroneously docketed and dismissed as a matter of law.,Service connection for a right hip disability, arthritis, bilateral upper extremity peripheral neuropathy, bilateral lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, back disability, and left knee disability were denied due to lack of evidence supporting these claims.
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