The Board has granted service connection for a bilateral lower extremity neurological disability, but the issues of service connection for a neck or cervical spine disability and entitlement to TDIU are remanded due to inadequate VA examination.
The deciding factor: The September 2019 VA examiner did not address the August 2009 diagnosis of residuals of cervical strain and failed to provide an opinion on whether the Veteran's neck pain is causally related to his service-connected back disability or if it was aggravated by his service-connected back disability.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral lower extremity neurological disability, neck or cervical spine disability
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 5, 2021
- Citation
- 21012905
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 21012905.
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 service connection for a bilateral lower extremity neurological disability, finding that the Veteran's symptoms began within a year of his Vietnam service and herbicide exposure. The appeal is based on presumed service connection due to exposure to herbicides.
- Dismissed
Your appeal has been dismissed as you have opted into the modernized review system.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral upper and lower extremity neurological disabilities, finding no current diagnoses.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for a low back or lumbar spine disability, neck or cervical spine disability, and headache disability due to service-connected bilateral knee disabilities.
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