The Veteran's claim for service connection for painful joints, including as due to exposure to Gulf War environmental hazards, is being remanded. The VA examiner needs to provide an addendum opinion addressing the Veteran’s complaints of joint pain in his hands and knees.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner was not able to evaluate the Veteran's reported symptoms of hand and knee disorders without additional information due to limitations in the current medical knowledge.
- Claimed conditions
- painful joints, hand disorders, knee disorders
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- Gulf War
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 31, 2020
- Citation
- 20022129
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 20022129.
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 case for further adjudication of the appellant's claims for accrued benefits due to her testimony regarding good cause. The Veteran had pending service connection claims at the time of his death.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for right and left ankle disabilities due to a duty-to-assist error.,Service connection will be considered based on the evidence of record.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for muscle pain and painful joints, as there was no evidence of a current disability related to these conditions during the Veteran's active duty or in the years following.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the service connection claim for painful joints as it is intertwined with another issue regarding the character of discharge from service.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.