The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his thoracolumbar and cervical spine disabilities are being remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions regarding muscle spasms.
The deciding factor: Additional medical evidence is required to determine if the Veteran has muscle spasms severe enough to result in an abnormal gait or spinal contour during the relevant period.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbar spine disc herniation, cervical spine disc herniation
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 16, 2021
- Citation
- A21020065
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 A21020065.
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 granted an effective date of March 16, 2023, for ratings ranging from 10 to 50 percent for various service-connected conditions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the issues of entitlement to an earlier effective date for service connection and basic eligibility for Dependents' Educational Assistance due to a lack of documentation regarding efforts made to contact the RO in Los Angeles, California, for records that might corroborate the Veteran's claim.
- Denied
The Board has denied the Veteran's petitions to readjudicate his claims for service connection for cervical spine disc herniation, cervical radiculopathy of the bilateral upper extremities, right shoulder strain, and cluster headaches as secondary to cervical spine disc herniation due to lack of new and relevant evidence.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to the need for additional records and further review of the claims, including those related to effective dates.
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