The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate medical opinions regarding the relationship between the Veteran's radiculopathy and his service-connected cervical spine disability, as well as any right arm or hand disabilities. Additional development is needed.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner did not provide a clear opinion on whether the Veteran’s symptoms are related to his in-service symptoms of numbness of hand and pain radiated to his right thumb.
- Claimed conditions
- rubiculopathy, upper hand pain
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 18, 2020
- Citation
- 20080029
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,604 · Granted: 65% (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 20080029.
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.
- Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's request for increased ratings and TDIU, effective March 8, 2019. The appellant is eligible to receive attorney fees based on past-due benefits awarded in the March 2022 rating decision.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the cases due to a need to ascertain whether a March 2017 VA examination was conducted for the Veteran's ankles.
- Granted
The Veteran's appeal for an evaluation in excess of 40 percent for radiculopathy, left leg L-5 nerve root sciatic nerve associated with lumbosacral spine strain and degenerative disc disease is dismissed due to the appellant's withdrawal. The issues of a total disability rating based on individual unemployability are remanded.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for a higher evaluation for radiculopathy of the lower extremities was denied prior to May 13, 2010 and in excess of 10 percent from August 22, 2017. The claim is granted with a 20 percent evaluation beginning July 7, 2014.,The Veteran's claim for TDIU and higher evaluation for lumbosacral strain (back condition) was remanded.
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