The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for cervical spine disability and associated radiculopathy due to missing VA treatment records, inadequate examination reports, and legal questions regarding pain and ankylosis.
The deciding factor: The decision is based on the need for additional evidence and clarification of legal issues related to the Veteran's service-connected conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative disc disease (DDD), Degenerative joint disease (DJD)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 3, 2023
- Citation
- 23000228
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,836 · Granted: 31% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 23000228.
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 service-connected lumbar spine disability and other disabilities have been granted, including a TDIU based on his inability to secure or follow substantially gainful employment due to these conditions.
- Granted
The Veteran's lumbar disorder, diagnosed as DDD and a lumbosacral strain, has been granted service connection. The Board found that the disability is related to his military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to inadequate VA medical opinions and a need for additional secondary service connection analysis.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for thoracolumbar spine degenerative arthritis and DDD was granted effective August 29, 2022. Service connection was established for vitreous syneresis / vitreous floaters of both eyes. The claims for service connection for refractive error of both eyes (myopia and astigmatism), bilateral hearing loss disability, residuals of a traumatic brain injury (TBI), obstructive sleep apnea, and an acquired psychiatric disorder (PTSD) were all denied.
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