The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for various joint and muscle disabilities, as new evidence received since the April 2002 rating decision raises a reasonable possibility of substantiating these claims.
The deciding factor: New evidence received since the April 2002 rating decision suggests possible current disabilities related to service or service-connected conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- left hip disability, right hip disability, left knee disability, cervical spine disability, left hand and finger disabilities (likely including left thumb), right hand and finger disabilities (likely including right thumb), left shoulder disability, right shoulder disability, left elbow disability, right elbow disability, left wrist disability, right wrist disability, muscle spasm of the right calf, muscle spasms of the left arm and right arm
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 8, 2019
- Citation
- 19126450
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 multiple conditions, including bilateral hearing loss and various musculoskeletal issues, as well as an initial rating in excess of 0 percent for rhinitis. However, the Board granted a 70 percent rating for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for various disabilities to the AOJ for further development and consideration of evidence not previously considered.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a 20 percent disability rating for left and right lower extremity radiculopathy from April 3, 2023 onward, but denied higher ratings prior to that date. Service connection was also granted for alcohol use disorder as secondary to PTSD with traumatic brain injury.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the matter for another VA examination and opinion as the previous examinations were found to be inadequate.
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