The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for various rheumatoid arthritis conditions of the shoulders, hands, wrists, feet, and knees are being remanded due to inadequate examinations.
The deciding factor: VA examinations were found to be inadequate as they did not include necessary testing (active/passive motion, non-weightbearing range of motion) or provide estimates of additional loss of range of motion during flare-ups.
- Claimed conditions
- rheumatoid arthritis of the left shoulder, rheumatoid arthritis of the right shoulder, rheumatoid arthritis of the left hand, rheumatoid arthritis of the right hand, rheumatoid arthritis of the left wrist, rheumatoid arthritis of the right wrist, rheumatoid arthritis of the left foot, rheumatoid arthritis of the right foot, rheumatoid arthritis of the left knee, rheumatoid arthritis of the right knee
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 22, 2020
- Citation
- 20005364
Veterans Law Judge
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 20005364.
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 remands the claims for service connection for rheumatoid arthritis of various body parts due to in-service exposure to hazardous materials, as an addendum opinion is needed.
- Partly granted
The Veteran's rheumatoid arthritis of the cervical spine was granted a 20 percent rating from December 8, 2021, to October 12, 2022, while other claims for increased ratings were denied.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed the Veteran's appeals for service connection of rheumatoid arthritis of the left shoulder, right shoulder, left hip, and left knee due to his withdrawal of the appeal.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient evidence regarding whether his lumbar condition is a congenital defect or disease, and if so, whether it was aggravated by military service. The Veteran also seeks service connection for radiculopathy of both lower extremities.
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