The Board has remanded the Veteran's claim for service connection for arthritis of the bilateral knees, ankles, shoulders, and wrists due to inadequate examination in a prior decision. The examiner is asked to provide an opinion on whether it is at least as likely as not that the Veteran’s diagnosed conditions are related to his active duty military service.
The deciding factor: The Board found the December 2015 addendum opinion inadequate because it did not consider the Veteran's lay statements of continued joint pain from multiple parachute jumps in service.
- Claimed conditions
- arthritis of the bilateral knees, arthritis of the bilateral ankles, arthritis of the bilateral shoulders, arthritis of the bilateral wrists
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 27, 2019
- Citation
- 19166465
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 19166465.
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for thoracolumbar spondylosis with degenerative joint disease and remanded claims for internal derangement of the left knee with meniscectomy, bilateral pes planus, arthritis of the shoulders, elbows, hands and fingers, legs, diabetes mellitus, hypertension.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for arthritis of the cervical spine, bilateral knees, bilateral elbows, and bilateral shoulders to obtain new VA medical opinions that adequately address whether these conditions are related to military service or aggravated by service-connected disabilities.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection and increased ratings to ensure compliance with previous remand instructions, including obtaining new medical opinions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims of service connection for arthritis, eye conditions, hypertension, and lower back pain are being remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions and consideration of new evidence.
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