The Board remands the claim for a neck disability to obtain an addendum VA opinion addressing the holdings in Spicer and Saunders.
The deciding factor: The VA-contracted examination and opinions provided were found inadequate as they did not address the holdings in Spicer and Saunders, necessitating a remand for additional evidence.
- Claimed conditions
- cervical spine stenosis, disc bulge, degenerative disc disease, intervertebral disc syndrome, degenerative arthritis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 13, 2024
- Citation
- A24073928
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.
- Dismissed
The appeal seeking service connection for diabetes mellitus, type II, degenerative arthritis, hyperlipidemia, and hypertension was dismissed due to non-compliance with claims processing rules.
- Granted
The Board granted a 40 percent disability rating for the Veteran's lumbar spine disability since September 26, 2024.
- Dismissed
The appeal to reopen the previous denial of service connection for lumbosacral strain is dismissed as the benefit sought has been fully granted.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for various conditions to correct pre-decisional duty to assist errors, including obtaining outstanding Social Security Administration records.
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