The Board has remanded cases involving service connection for rheumatoid arthritis of the left and right lower extremities, as well as increased ratings for peripheral artery disease. The Veteran was not notified of a scheduled VA examination, which is necessary to determine if any rheumatoid arthritis could have been misdiagnosed.
The deciding factor: The Veteran did not receive notification of a scheduled VA examination, which is required to properly assess the service connection claims and increased rating issues.
- Claimed conditions
- rheumatoid arthritis of the left lower extremity, rheumatoid arthritis of the right lower extremity
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 5, 2019
- Citation
- 19191178
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,480 · Granted: 26% (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 19191178.
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 Veteran's claims for increased ratings for lumbar spine disability and radiculopathy of the right lower extremity were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on functional loss or incapacitating episodes.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings are being remanded due to the need for additional VA examinations.
- Dismissed
The Board has dismissed all appeals due to the appellant's death.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case for referral to the Director of Compensation Service for extraschedular consideration due to the Veteran's service-connected disabilities substantially impairing his ability to work.
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