The Board has remanded the claims for diabetic peripheral neuropathy of the upper extremities and gout, finding that a new VA examination is needed to assess current severity and service connection determinations require clarification.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's symptoms have worsened over time, necessitating a new VA examination. Additionally, there are conflicting opinions regarding whether the Veteran’s gout is aggravated by his service-connected conditions or medications used to manage them.
- Claimed conditions
- diabetic peripheral neuropathy of the right upper extremity, diabetic peripheral neuropathy of the left upper extremity, gout
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 29, 2019
- Citation
- 19181732
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,893 · Granted: 31% (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 19181732.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's gout claim for additional development, including obtaining an adequate VA examination and ensuring all relevant records are obtained. The TDIU claim is also being remanded.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has found that the Veteran meets the basic medical eligibility criteria for PCAFC benefits due to his need for personal care services based on symptoms or residuals of neurological or other impairment or injury. However, further clinical evaluation is needed to determine if participation in the program is in the Veteran's best interest.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for gout and bilateral foot conditions due to insufficient evidence. The Veteran's representative requested an informal conference, but it did not take place before the April 2021 rating decision was issued.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for a thoracolumbar spine disability, but denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss disorder, gout, multiple painful joints, bilateral ankle disorder, bilateral knee disorder, and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).
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