The Board has remanded the claims for rheumatism and hypothyroidism due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology. The rheumatism claim is related to PTSD, while the hypothyroidism claim may be related to PTSD or herbicide exposure.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner did not provide an opinion on whether the Veteran's rheumatism is aggravated by his service-connected PTSD and did not address the medical literature suggesting a relationship between PTSD and autoimmune disorders. The thyroid condition claim is inextricably intertwined with the rheumatism claim, so both need to be addressed together.
- Claimed conditions
- rheumatism, hypothyroidism
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 26, 2019
- Citation
- 19132990
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 a deviated septum and denied compensable ratings for allergic rhinitis, chronic sinusitis, hypothyroidism, and hypertension.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for hypothyroidism, as it is presumptively linked to herbicide agent exposure during the Veteran's service in Vietnam.
- Denied
The Board denied an initial compensable disability rating for service-connected hypothyroidism and remanded the claim for service connection for lipomas (claimed as cysts surgery).
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for hypothyroidism secondary to in-service toxic exposure risk activity (TERA) based on the Veteran's conceded in-service jet fuel fumes exposure.
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