The Board has remanded the case for further development, including a VA examination to assess the current severity of the Veteran's cervical spine disability and determine if additional functional loss occurs with repeated use or during flare-ups. The Veteran is seeking increased ratings for his service-connected cervical spine spondylosis.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the December 2019 VA examination report did not substantially comply with the September 2019 remand directives and thus ordered a new examination to address these issues.
- Claimed conditions
- cervical spine spondylosis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 21, 2021
- Citation
- 21003280
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 21003280.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's cervical spine disability is being remanded for further development to determine its nature and etiology, including consideration of in-service events and symptoms.
- Dismissed
The veteran withdrew the appeal for all service connection and increased rating claims, including those related to various conditions such as right foot condition, TMJ, asthma, jawbone condition, sleep apnea, kidney stones, chronic bronchitis, Alpha gal, encephalopathy, left shoulder, left ankle, cervical spine, right hip, tachycardia, loose teeth, and jawbone condition.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for a rating in excess of 10 percent and 20 percent for cervical spine spondylosis and lumbar spine degenerative disc disease with degenerative arthritis, as an adequate medical opinion has not been obtained.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a 30 percent rating for cervical spine spondylosis from September 23, 2013 and a 40 percent rating for right upper extremity (RUE) radiculopathy prior to December 16, 2013. Other claims were denied.
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