The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient compliance with previous remand directives. The cervical spine strain claim is denied as there is no evidence of a current disability or in-service incurrence.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner's opinion was found to be inadequate and self-contradictory, leading to the need for further clarification from another qualified examiner.
- Claimed conditions
- Cervical spine strain, Left shoulder acromioclavicular joint osteoarthritis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 29, 2021
- Citation
- 21070965
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 21070965.
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 a compensable evaluation for pseudofolliculitis barbae, and denied ratings in excess of the current evaluations for left shoulder acromioclavicular joint osteoarthritis and right knee strain with limitation of flexion and extension.
- Partly granted
The Board denied increased ratings for cervical and thoracolumbar spine strains, TMJ disorder, dermatitis of the face, right knee chondromalacia grade II with patellar tendonitis, medial meniscal derangement, and Baker's cyst, and bilateral hearing loss. However, service connection was granted for radicular pain paresthesia of the right upper extremity.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for cervical spine degenerative arthritis, right shoulder acromioclavicular and glenohumeral joint osteoarthritis, left shoulder acromioclavicular joint osteoarthritis, and right knee joint osteoarthritis, as well as a separate 20% rating for erectile dysfunction. The Board denied an increased disability rating higher than 20 percent for diabetes mellitus type II but granted service connection for bilateral primary open-angle glaucoma secondary to the Veteran's service-connected diabetes.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Major Depressive Disorder, Panic Disorder, and Agoraphobia as well as cervical spine strain, right and left upper extremity radiculopathy, and right and left lower extremity radiculopathy. A 40 percent rating was assigned for gastritis.
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