The Veteran's cervical spine myositis, degenerative disc disease of the back with myositis, and left ankle strain are all remanded for further evaluation due to inadequate previous examinations. The issues are inextricably intertwined as a decision on these conditions could impact the ratings for related radiculopathies.
The deciding factor: The VA examinations were inadequate and do not provide sufficient information about the severity of the Veteran's cervical spine, back, and left ankle disorders, which may affect the rating assigned to his radiculopathy.
- Claimed conditions
- cervical spine myositis, degenerative disc disease of the back with myositis, left ankle strain
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 18, 2020
- Citation
- 20080094
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 Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection, increased ratings, and earlier effective dates as there was no evidence to support a causal relationship between his current conditions and his active military service.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an initial evaluation of 20 percent for left and right ankle strains, denied a compensable evaluation for bilateral hearing loss, and remanded claims for hypertension and gout.
- Denied
The Board denied earlier effective dates for the grant of service connection and initial increased ratings for various conditions, as well as remanded several issues for further development.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for left shoulder strain, right shoulder strain, early osteoarthritis of the left and right hips (secondary to a service-connected knee disability), and right and left ankle strains (secondary to a service-connected knee disability).
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