The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected low back and hand disorders, as well as the issue of whether a reduction in SMC was proper, are being remanded due to the need for additional examinations.
The deciding factor: Additional medical evidence is needed to properly assess the current severity of the Veteran's service-connected conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- low back trauma with intervertebral disc syndrome, left hand rheumatoid arthritis, right hand rheumatoid arthritis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 4, 2019
- Citation
- 19107992
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 961 · Granted: 20% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 19107992.
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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran passed away before the Board could make a decision on her service connection claims for rheumatoid arthritis and Sjogren's syndrome. Her appeal is dismissed due to her death.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for right and left chronic achilles tendonitis, right and left hand rheumatoid arthritis, Steven Johnson Syndrome, and an initial rating of 70 percent for Other Specified Trauma and Stressor-related disorder. The back disability claim was denied.
- Dismissed
The Board has dismissed the claims for service connection for left ankle and right hand rheumatoid arthritis as they were already pending at the AOJ.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's service-connected rheumatoid arthritis and related disabilities are found to prevent him from working, and the case is being referred for extraschedular consideration.
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