The Board has remanded three issues related to service connection for cold injury residuals of the left and right shoulders, hands, and knees due to a lack of adequate examination and reasoning.
The deciding factor: The previous negative opinion was based on the absence of documented cold injuries in service and the Veteran's denial at the examination, which did not consider the possibility of a nexus between these conditions and earlier statements regarding cold injuries of the knees and hands.
- Claimed conditions
- cold injury residuals of the left and right shoulders, cold injury residuals of the left and right hands, cold injury residuals of the left and right knees
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- Not specified
- Citation
- 18100143
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 18100143.
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 Board denied service connection for cold injury residuals of the left and right knees, hands, and shoulders as there is no evidence that these conditions are related to in-service exposure to cold.
- Denied
The Veteran's death was not caused by or substantially contributed to by his service-connected cold injury residuals. The cause of death listed on the Certificate of Death is disregarded, and there are no medical records showing any connection between the Veteran's cold injuries and his subsequent health issues.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a heart condition, including ischemic heart disease. The evidence did not support a finding of a current disability related to service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has expanded the scope of the claim for major depression to encompass any mental health disability raised by the record and has remanded six issues for additional development.
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