The Board has decided to remand the claim for further development due to uncertainty about whether the Veteran's current wrist disability, including tendonitis and osteoarthritis, is related to his service.
The deciding factor: The August 2019 VA medical opinion was unclear and did not reconcile with the STRs showing chronic pain in various joints during service.
- Claimed conditions
- inflammatory arthritis, other than of the knees, bilateral wrist tendonitis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 25, 2020
- Citation
- 20043021
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 20043021.
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.
- Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for a right wrist disability, diagnosed as bilateral wrist tendonitis and De Quervain's syndrome, based on an in-service injury during active duty.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for bilateral wrist conditions, finding that the Veteran's current diagnoses of bilateral wrist tendonitis are related to her active-duty service.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected PTSD and bilateral wrist tendonitis have rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation as of July 1, 2011.
- Denied
The Veteran's bilateral wrist tendonitis is not service-connected.,The Veteran's right knee condition is not service-connected, and was not caused or aggravated by a service-connected disability.,The Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of facial swelling.,The Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of total body numbness and tingling.
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.