The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to the unavailability of his service treatment records and the need for further medical examination.
The deciding factor: The decision is based on the unavailability of service treatment records, which makes it impossible to determine if the Veteran's current conditions are related to his military service. Further medical examination is needed to provide a basis for determining service connection.
- Claimed conditions
- back/spine disability, neck/cervical spine disability, loss of hand use, decreased fine motor skills, right upper extremity, decreased fine motor skills, left upper extremity, decreased gross motor skills, right lower extremity, decreased motor skills, left lower extremity
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 9, 2021
- Citation
- 21007497
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 21007497.
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 claim for service connection for a neck/cervical spine disability, finding that his current condition is at least as likely as not related to active duty service.
- Denied
The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for neck/cervical spine disability, finding that there is not sufficient evidence to establish a link between his current condition and his military service.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's left ankle disability, bilateral upper extremity radiculopathy, and neck/cervical spine disabilities based on evidence in approximate balance showing a causal relationship between these conditions and his active duty service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection of multiple joint pain and disabilities to correct an error by the AOJ, satisfy its duty to assist under 38 U.S.C. § 5103A, and obtain additional VA examinations and medical nexus opinions.
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