The Board remands the issue of service connection for a neck condition secondary to a service-connected low back condition for a medical opinion addressing whether and to what extent the Veteran's neck condition was aggravated by her service-connected low back condition.
The deciding factor: The July 2018 VA opinion is inadequate because it did not address aggravation, and the January 2020 non-VA opinion is inadequate because it did not discuss the baseline severity of the Veteran's neck condition.
- Claimed conditions
- neck condition
- How they argued it
- Aggravation of a pre-existing condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 17, 2024
- Citation
- 24002533
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 claims for service connection, higher ratings, and earlier effective dates, as well as dismissed his claim for a TDIU.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for various conditions, including a back condition, right and left lower extremity sciatic nerve radiculopathy, neck condition, upper extremity radiculopathy, bilateral flatfoot, right foot plantar fasciitis, and right ankle pain, as the current evidence is inadequate to make a decision.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for a back condition, neck condition, bilateral hearing loss, and an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include insomnia disorder. The claims for the remaining conditions were remanded.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for migraine headaches as secondary to the Veteran's asthma with sinusitis, but denied service connection for a low back sprain and plantar fasciitis. The claim for a neck condition was dismissed.
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