The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for additional development due to incomplete records and inadequate opinions regarding his thoracolumbar and cervical spine conditions.,A medical expert is needed to provide an opinion on the etiology of the Veteran's thoracolumbar and cervical spine conditions.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the AOJ did not obtain all relevant VA treatment records, including those from Wilkes-Barre VAMC and Fayetteville AR VAMC. Additionally, the opinions provided by the VA examiners were deemed inadequate due to an inaccurate factual premise and lack of consideration of the Veteran's prior medical history.
- Claimed conditions
- Thoracolumbar spine condition, Cervical spine condition
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 1, 2022
- Citation
- 22019552
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 22019552.
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 Veteran's claims for cervical spine condition and left shoulder condition due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error, as VA failed to provide the Veteran with VA examinations and medical opinions to assess the nature and etiology of his conditions.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection for a cervical spine condition was granted as new and relevant evidence has been received. The case is remanded to obtain additional medical records, provide a VA examination, and determine the etiology of the Veteran's cervical spine condition.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the cases for further development and consideration due to inadequate opinions regarding the Veteran's cervical spine condition and TBI. The VA will obtain an adequate opinion on both issues.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claim for service connection for a cervical spine condition due to new evidence submitted since the last decision. The VA examinations provided conflicting opinions regarding the etiology of the Veteran's cervical spine condition, and a new examination is needed.
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