The Veteran's neck strain and DDD, cervical spine, claims have been reopened. The Board has determined that the evidence is at least in equipoise as to whether these conditions are related to his service-connected motor vehicle accident. However, the upper back condition claim remains remanded for further examination and opinion.
The deciding factor: The April 2015 VA examiner's opinions were inadequate due to their lack of detail regarding causation or aggravation, leading to a need for new medical nexus opinions on these issues.
- Claimed conditions
- neck strain, degenerative disk disease, cervical spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 20, 2022
- Citation
- 22015915
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 22015915.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to inadequate VA medical nexus opinion and failure to obtain relevant non-VA medical records.
- Denied
The Board has denied service connection for hypertension, neck strain, and pseudofolliculitis barbae (razor bumps, shave bumps, or ingrown hairs) as there is no current diagnosis of these conditions. The Veteran's tinnitus was assigned the maximum schedular rating.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the cases for further development and examination, as well as to obtain additional medical records. The Veteran's neck strain and PTSD issues are being reviewed due to the lack of relevant treatment records from certain VA facilities.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for service connection have been remanded due to errors in notification letters.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.