The veteran's appeal is being remanded to schedule a videoconference hearing at the RO due to his inability to attend the previously scheduled hearing in Washington, DC.
The deciding factor: The veteran was unable to attend the previously scheduled hearing in Washington, DC as he had requested a videoconference hearing at the RO and provided reasonable cause for not attending the travel board hearing.
- Claimed conditions
- degenerative arthritis, right hand, Heberden's nodes, right hand, degenerative arthritis, left hand, Heberden's nodes, left hand
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 30, 2008
- Citation
- 0825428
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 0825428.
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 service connection for degenerative arthritis in both the right and left hands, finding that there is an approximate balance of positive and negative evidence regarding whether the Veteran incurred these conditions during his military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for various recurrent hand, hip, and foot disabilities to include degenerative arthritis, all claimed as due to herbicide agent exposure in Vietnam. The VA is instructed to schedule the Veteran for additional examinations to determine if these conditions are related to his military service.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for an initial rating greater than 20 percent for his left thumb disability is denied. The case is also remanded to determine if a separate rating is warranted for neurological residuals of the fractured first left metacarpal.
- Granted
The Board has reopened the claim for service connection for tinnitus due to new evidence. Service connection is granted for tinnitus, but denied for degenerative arthritis of both hands and hips.
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