The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for gouty arthropathy of the left hand and bilateral lower extremities is being remanded due to incomplete examination report, lack of VA treatment records since May 2011 from Little Rock VAMC, and need for additional development.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's claim requires further development as there are missing VA treatment records and an incomplete examination report. The claims file must be supplemented with all relevant medical evidence and the Veteran should undergo a new VA examination to determine the current severity of his gouty arthropathy.
- Claimed conditions
- gouty arthropathy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 11, 2012
- Citation
- 1231115
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 1231115.
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.
- Partly granted
The veteran's claims for service connection for hypertension, hypertensive heart disease, chronic kidney disease, and anemia were granted. The claims for bladder cancer, erectile dysfunction, gouty arthropathy were denied. The claim for transient ischemic attack was remanded.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a right knee disability, including gouty arthropathy, finding that there was no evidence of onset during or within one year after service and no relationship to any period of active service.
- Granted
The Board finds that the evidence is in equipoise and, resolving reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran, service connection for gouty arthropathy is granted.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided that the Veteran's claim for a higher rating for chronic joint pain of the left hand and bilateral lower extremities due to gouty arthropathy needs further development, including a new VA examination.
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