The Board has remanded the restoration of service connection for several conditions, including cervical spine arthritis, bilateral shoulder arthritis, lumbar spine DDD, right thumb arthritis, and post-surgical scars. The claims are being returned to the RO for further development.
The deciding factor: The claims have been remanded due to the need for clarification of the medical evidence in support of the service connection claims.
- Claimed conditions
- cervical spine arthritis, bilateral shoulder arthritis, lumbar spine degenerative disc disease (DDD), right thumb arthritis, post-surgical scars
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 13, 2021
- Citation
- 21029461
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 21029461.
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 lumbar spine degenerative arthritis and DDD, as well as right and left lower extremity radiculopathy secondary to the now service-connected lumbar spine condition. The decision is based on a finding of relative equipoise in the evidence regarding whether these conditions are related to service.
- 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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings and service connection have been dismissed as the Veteran requested to withdraw all of his appeals prior to a decision being made.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to a duty to assist error regarding the service connection for left lower extremity radiculopathy, including as aggravated by service-connected lumbar spine degenerative disc disease (DDD).
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