The Board remands the matter for an adequate VA examination to address the etiology of the Veteran's current neck disability, including whether it is caused or aggravated by his service-connected right shoulder disability.
The deciding factor: The examiner provided a negative nexus opinion only with regard to a direct service connection theory and did not address the explicitly raised secondary service connection theory.
- Claimed conditions
- cervical degenerative disc disease, intervertebral disc syndrome (IVDS)
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 8, 2025
- Citation
- A25058337
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the issue of entitlement to an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for lumbosacral strain with degenerative arthritis of the spine and intervertebral disc syndrome.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a separate 20 percent rating for intervertebral disc syndrome based on limited cervical range of motion and a 40 percent rating for IVDS based on limited thoracolumbar range of motion, while dismissing the appeal for service connection for a right knee disability.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for multiple conditions, including bilateral foot disability, knee disability, ankle disability, cervical degenerative disc disease, spondylosis, and cervicalgia, secondary to a service-connected lumbar strain, as well as GERD. The claims of readjudication were also granted.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for a lumbar spine disability, diagnosed as degenerative disc disease and degenerative joint disease, intervertebral disc syndrome (IVDS), and lumbosacral strain, based on the Veteran's consistent account of having low back problems since service.
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