Citation Nr: 21066340 Decision Date: 10/29/21 Archive Date: 10/29/21 DOCKET NO. 15-37 453 DATE: October 29, 2021 REMANDED Entitlement to service connection for a cervical spine condition is remanded. REASONS FOR REMAND The Veteran served on active duty from December 1970 to October 1973. This matter is before the Board of Veterans' Appeals (Board) on appeal from a March 2015 rating decision of a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Regional Office (RO). A Board hearing was held before the undersigned in June 2019. A transcript of the hearing is of record. This matter was previously before the Board in February 2021 when it was remanded for further development. A May 2021 rating decision granted service connection for lumbar degenerative disc disease and degenerative arthritis. As the decision constitutes a full grant of the claim previously before the Board, the matter is no longer before the Board and will not be discussed further. Entitlement to service connection for a cervical spine condition is remanded. Although the additional delay is regrettable, the Board finds another remand is required before a decision can be made on the Veteran's claim. Specifically, the Board finds another medical opinion addressing whether the Veteran's cervical spine condition was caused or aggravated by his service-connected back condition is warranted. In accordance with the February 2021 Board remand, the Veteran underwent a VA examination in April 2021 to determine the nature and etiology of his cervical spine condition. Following examination of the Veteran, the VA examiner opined that the Veteran's cervical spine condition was not caused or aggravated by his lumbar degenerative disc disease and degenerative arthritis. In support of the opinion, the examiner essentially stated that arthritis in the lumbar spine does not spread to the cervical spine and cause damage to it, that the Veteran's cervical arthritis was due to age-related changes, that the Veteran was not currently service-connected for a lumbar spine condition, and that medical literature failed to show a causal relationship. As noted above, the examiner's rationale included that the Veteran was not service connected for a lumbar spine condition at the time of the examination. However, the Veteran was granted service connection for lumbar degenerative disc disease and degenerative arthritis following the examination, as noted in a May 2021 rating decision. In light of this, the Board finds another medical opinion which considers this evidence is required. Additionally, the opinion that the cervical spine condition was not aggravated by the lumbar spine condition appears to be based on the rationale that there is not a causal relationship between the lumbar spine and cervical spine. Therefore, a further opinion on whether the now service-connected lumbar spine aggravated the cervical spine condition is needed. The matters are REMANDED for the following action: 1. Obtain any updated VA treatment records for the period from February 2021 to the present. 2. After obtaining any additional records, obtain an addendum opinion addressing the etiology of the Veteran's cervical spine condition. The Veteran's claims file must be made available to the examiner for review in connection with the examination. An examination should only be scheduled if the examiner deems one is necessary for providing the requested opinion. Following a review of the Veteran's claims file, the examiner is asked to provide an opinion on the following: (a) Whether it is at least as likely as not (a 50 percent or greater probability) that the Veteran's cervical spine condition was caused by his service-connected lumbar degenerative disc disease and degenerative arthritis. (b) Whether it is at least as likely as not (a 50 percent or greater probability) the Veteran's cervical spine condition was aggravated (i.e., any worsening beyond natural progression) by his service-connected lumbar degenerative disc disease and degenerative arthritis. A complete rationale for all opinions must be provided. If the clinician cannot provide a requested opinion without resorting to speculation, it must be so stated, and the clinician must provide the reasons why an opinion would require speculation. The clinician must indicate whether there was any further need for information or testing necessary to make a determination. Additionally, the clinician must indicate whether any opinion could not be rendered due to limitations of knowledge in the medical community at large and not those of the particular examiner. M. SORISIO Veterans Law Judge Board of Veterans' Appeals Attorney for the Board S. Jiggetts The Board's decision in this case is binding only with respect to the instant matter decided. This decision is not precedential and does not establish VA policies or interpretations of general applicability. 38 C.F.R. § 20.1303.