The appeal for service connection for a degenerative disc disease, lumbar spine disorder is dismissed as it has been fully granted. The claims for service connection for a degenerative disc disease, cervical disorder, cervical and ulnar neuropathy LUE radiculopathy, and an URI are remanded for readjudication.
The deciding factor: The evidence submitted since the prior denials provides new theories of entitlement that address the basis of the prior denials, i.e., the lack of nexus to service.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative disc disease lumbar spine disorder, Degenerative disc disease cervical disorder, Cervical and ulnar neuropathy left upper extremity radiculopathy, Upper respiratory infection
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 20, 2025
- Citation
- A25015620
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,017 · Granted: 36% (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 A25015620.
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 Board has granted payment or reimbursement for unauthorized emergency treatment received at Gulf Coast Medical Center on February 22, 2016 due to the Veteran's acute symptoms of a constant hacking cough and difficulty breathing. The closest VA facilities were not feasibly available, and an attempt to use them beforehand would have been unreasonable.
- Denied
The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a lung condition and an upper respiratory infection condition, finding that there is no evidence to support these conditions began during or are related to his military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's LLE varicose veins are granted a higher rating, RLE varicose veins service connection is granted, and the URI claim is remanded for further development.
- Denied
The Veteran's treatment at the Memorial Hospital Jacksonville on February 7, 2018 was for a cold with nasal congestion. The Board found that VA facilities were feasibly available and an attempt to use them beforehand would have been considered reasonable by a prudent layperson.
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