The Board has remanded the case for a VA examination to determine if the Veteran's current arthritis of several joints is related to his in-service joint pain. The claim will be adjudicated again after this development.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner was unable to provide an opinion without resorting to speculation, as there are other etiologies for developing arthritis not considered by the service treatment records.
- Claimed conditions
- arthritis (arthralgia) of several joints, ostearthritis, bilateral thumb carpometacarpal arthritis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 16, 2011
- Citation
- 1118796
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 1118796.
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 has decided to remand the claim for further development due to inadequacy of a previous VA examination and need for additional medical opinion.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for a low back disability, compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss, and TDIU due to incomplete development and potential misdiagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for a left elbow disorder, finding no in-service injury or chronic condition and insufficient evidence of continuity of symptoms.
- Granted
The Veteran's right and left knee disabilities, including osteoarthritis, are found to be at least as likely as not caused by injuries sustained during his periods of active service. The claim for service connection is granted.
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