The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to obtain additional medical opinions regarding the relationship between his service-connected genitourinary problems and his claimed Reiter's syndrome/reactive arthritis, as well as a separate rating for an acquired psychiatric disorder. The claims will be readjudicated after obtaining these opinions.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner needs to provide an opinion on whether the Veteran's current Reiter's syndrome/reactive arthritis is aggravated by his service-connected genitourinary problems and whether he has a separate and distinct psychiatric condition warranting a separate rating.
- Claimed conditions
- Reiter's syndrome, reactive arthritis, arthritis of hips, knees, and lumbar spine
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 28, 2013
- Citation
- 1320952
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 1320952.
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.
- Denied
The Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss, right shoulder disability, left shoulder disability, Reiter's syndrome, and lumbar spine disability have been denied. The Board found that the Veteran does not meet the criteria for a hearing loss disability for VA purposes and that his service-connected disabilities do not warrant an earlier effective date.
- Granted
The Board has granted effective dates of August 2, 2012 for the establishment of service connection for Reiter's syndrome with degenerative arthritis of cervical spine and obstructive sleep apnea.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for reactive arthritis, OSA, and a left knee condition. The claims for a back condition and right wrist condition were remanded.
- Partly granted
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an increased rating for Reiter's syndrome and granted service connection for ulcerative colitis as secondary to Reiter's syndrome, effective December 11, 2001.
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