The veteran is to be scheduled for a new VA orthopedic examination to determine the nature and etiology of any current disability of the back, shoulders, and neck, including whether such conditions are related to his service-connected diabetes mellitus.
The deciding factor: Further clarification from an examiner is needed regarding the relationship between the veteran's claimed disabilities and his service-connected diabetes mellitus.
- Claimed conditions
- Arthritis of the back, Arthritis of the shoulders and neck
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 12, 2009
- Citation
- 0901199
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,582 · Granted: 32% (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 0901199.
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 arthritis affecting multiple joints, including the back, ankles, hands, hips, and knees. The decision is based on a finding of continuity of symptoms since service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the cases for further development and to determine if service connection is warranted for bladder cancer, arthritis of the back and knees, and hearing loss. The Veteran's private treatment records are requested, as well as a VA examination.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for a chronic back condition as there was no evidence of a current disability, and the Veteran's claimed back problems were not related to his military service.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for a low back disability, finding that the Veteran's current arthritis is related to his in-service complaints and treatment of back strain.
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