The Board has remanded the claims for service connection and TDIU due to insufficient rationale in previous VA opinions. The Veteran's cervical, thoracic, and lumbar spine disabilities are related to motor vehicle accidents since service, but not directly to an in-service incident. The chronic sinus condition is related to a May 2020 diagnosis, which may be outside the period of active service. The left lower extremity nerve condition and left foot condition are linked to a lumbar spine disability.
The deciding factor: The VA opinions provided insufficient rationale for the findings regarding the Veteran's spinal conditions and chronic sinusitis.
- Claimed conditions
- cervical spine disability, thoracic spine disability, lumbar spine disability, chronic sinus condition, left lower extremity nerve condition, left foot condition
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 12, 2021
- Citation
- 21068663
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 21068663.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied the claims of service connection for cervical spine and skin rash disabilities, finding that there is no evidence linking these conditions to active military service.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for a lumbar spine disability, left lower extremity radiculopathy, and right lower extremity radiculopathy as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected lumbar spine disability.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the claims for miscarriage, cervical spine disability, lumbar spine disability, and right elbow disability due to insufficient examination opinions and incomplete service history verification.
- Dismissed
The Board has dismissed the Veteran's claims for service connection for left knee disability, right knee disability, lumbar spine disability, and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) as these issues have been addressed in a separate docket.
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