The Board remands the claims for service connection for cervical spine, right shoulder, right and left hip, and right and left knee disorders as secondary to a back disability due to insufficient evidence regarding their relationship with the back disability.
The deciding factor: A remand is necessary to obtain VA medical opinions addressing whether the current cervical spine, right shoulder, right and left hip, and right and left knee disorders were caused or worsened by the service-connected back disability.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative arthritis of the cervical spine, Degenerative arthritis of the right shoulder, Degenerative arthritis in the right hip, Degenerative arthritis in the left hip, Right knee pain, Left knee pain
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 14, 2025
- Citation
- A25088224
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,200 · Granted: 43% (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 A25088224.
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 Veteran's claim for increased ratings for degenerative arthritis of the cervical spine and lumbar spine was granted with effective dates of May 13, 2019.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for right knee pain and right hip pain due to insufficient medical evidence on file regarding their etiology. The AOJ is required to obtain an adequate opinion from a qualified medical examiner.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for degenerative arthritis of the lumbar and cervical spine are being remanded due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error. The AOJ is directed to obtain an addendum medical opinion that addresses the extent of flareups experienced by the Veteran.
- Remanded (sent back)
Service connection for degenerative arthritis of the cervical spine and anxiety is granted. The Veteran's right lower extremity radiculopathy, right knee condition, and OSA are remanded due to duty-to-assist errors.
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