The Board remands the claims for a cervical spine disorder and myelopathy as secondary to a cervical spine disorder due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error.
The deciding factor: The May 2022 VA examiner's medical opinion is insufficient for rating purposes, as it did not consider whether the Veteran's current cervical spine disorder is caused by or related to his in-service thoracic injury or service-connected thoracolumbar strain.
- Claimed conditions
- cervical spine disorder, myelopathy as secondary to a cervical spine disorder
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 18, 2025
- Citation
- A25035862
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 Veteran withdrew the appeal for service connection for a cervical spine disorder and bilateral cataracts of the eyes.
- Denied
The Board denied the claims for an increased rating for the left shoulder disorder, service connection for a cervical spine disorder, service connection for a right arm disorder, and service connection for a left arm disorder.
- Partly granted
The Board dismissed the claims for service connection for right and left lower extremity, lumbar radiculopathy as they were already granted. The claims for service connection for a right hip disorder, left hip disorder, right elbow disorder, left elbow disorder, and cervical spine disorder are remanded for further development.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for a cervical spine disorder, thoracolumbar spine disorder, and left hip disorder as they are inextricably intertwined with each other.
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