The Veteran seeks service connection for an autoimmune disease, including mixed connective tissue disease, systemic lupus erythematosus, Sjogren's syndrome. The Board has combined these conditions into one issue and remanded the case due to insufficient evidence on the etiology of the diseases.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner is needed to determine if the autoimmune diseases had their onset during or are causally related to the Veteran's period of active duty in Southwest Asia, or are related to his service-connected fibromyalgia.
- Claimed conditions
- mixed connective tissue disease, systemic lupus erythematosus, Sjogren's syndrome
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Gulf War
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 18, 2013
- Citation
- 1308970
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 1308970.
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
Service connection for rheumatoid arthritis and Sjogren's syndrome is granted.,Service connection for hypertension is remanded due to insufficient evidence regarding its onset in service or as a result of a disease or injury in active service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to inadequate development of her exposure history and lack of adequate medical opinions. The case will be returned to the AOJ for further action.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected conditions, including lupus and Sjogren's syndrome, were granted. The rating for Raynaud's disease was restored to a lower level, and the effective dates for TDIU and DEA were established.
- Dismissed
The Board has dismissed the appeals for increased rating for Raynaud's disease and service connection for Sjogren's syndrome as the appellant withdrew her appeal prior to a decision.
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