The Board has found that there has not been substantial compliance with its prior remand directives and thus, an addendum opinion is required to address the nature and etiology of the Veteran's current cervical spine disability.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner did not fully address the inquiries outlined in the March 2022 remand regarding whether it was reasonable to believe from a medical standpoint that the Veteran sustained an injury to the neck/cervical spine when he fell off the back of a military vehicle, and whether his history of symptoms is consistent with such an injury.
- Claimed conditions
- Cervical spine (neck) disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 23, 2022
- Citation
- 22054155
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 22054155.
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 Veteran's claim for service connection for a cervical spine disability with left upper extremity radiculopathy, finding that there was no evidence of an in-service injury or chronic condition. The Board concluded that the Veteran did not meet the criteria for direct service connection.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a cervical spine (neck) disability due to insufficient evidence showing a current disability related to service.
- Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for GERD, sleep apnea, and a cervical spine disability. The claim for a migraine headache disability was remanded for further development.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection and initial rating due to the need for additional VA examinations.
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