The Board has determined that the VA examination is inadequate for evaluation purposes and a new one must be obtained. The Veteran's systemic joint disorder claim will be remanded to allow for further development.
The deciding factor: The March 2012 addendum opinion was found to be incomplete as it did not explain why the current joint ailments were not related to the in-service diagnosis of patellofemoral syndrome, and failed to order laboratory tests to check for a systemic disorder such as rheumatoid arthritis.
- Claimed conditions
- systemic joint disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 7, 2014
- Citation
- 1444602
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 1444602.
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 remanded the case for a VA rheumatology examination to determine if the Veteran has fibromyalgia or any other systemic joint disorder, including an undiagnosed illness, related to his service. The appeal is also being remanded due to conflicting evidence regarding whether the Veteran's complaints of joint pain are attributed to his multiple service-connected orthopedic disabilities or a separate disability.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected coronary artery disease, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the severity of his condition.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected musculoligamentous strain, right knee, is currently rated at 10 percent and the Board finds that a higher rating is not warranted.
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