The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient information regarding his exposure to hazardous substances and materials during service. The Veteran is also required to undergo examinations for his cervical spine, lumbar spine injury, left knee, and right knee conditions.
The deciding factor: The Board found that there was not enough evidence to verify the Veteran's service in Vietnam or exposure to herbicides or other radioactive, toxic, or hazardous substances or materials. Therefore, further development is needed to determine these issues.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative arthritis of the cervical spine, Lumbar spine injury, Left knee degenerative joint disease, Right knee degenerative joint disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 12, 2022
- Citation
- 22028201
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 22028201.
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 Veteran's claim for increased ratings for degenerative arthritis of the cervical spine and lumbar spine was granted with effective dates of May 13, 2019.
- Denied
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for left and right knee disabilities were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a rating in excess of 10 percent for left knee degenerative joint disease.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for degenerative arthritis of the lumbar and cervical spine are being remanded due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error. The AOJ is directed to obtain an addendum medical opinion that addresses the extent of flareups experienced by the Veteran.
- Remanded (sent back)
Service connection for degenerative arthritis of the cervical spine and anxiety is granted. The Veteran's right lower extremity radiculopathy, right knee condition, and OSA are remanded due to duty-to-assist errors.
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