The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate opinions regarding the relationship between current osteoarthritis and service. The Veteran's active service is believed to have caused joint pain shortly after service, but there are missing records that need to be reviewed by a clinician.
The deciding factor: The previous opinions in the record were not based on accurate factual premises due to missing service treatment records.
- Claimed conditions
- arthritic condition, osteoarthritis of the elbows, osteoarthritis of the ankles, osteoarthritis of the back
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 19, 2020
- Citation
- 20074398
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,863 · 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 20074398.
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 Veteran's claims for service connection on multiple conditions are being remanded due to the need for additional medical examinations.,Reduction of compensation benefits to 10% due to incarceration is upheld.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that additional development is needed for the Veteran's claims of service connection for osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, as well as his claim for increased ratings. The case will be returned to the Board after this development.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claim of service connection for an arthritic condition due to inadequate etiology opinions provided in previous VA examinations. The Veteran's lay statements, testimony before the Board, and in-service injuries are considered in determining the cause of his current osteoarthritis disabilities.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to an inadequate medical opinion regarding the relationship between the Veteran's service and his arthritic condition. The examiner must provide a detailed opinion on whether it is at least as likely as not that any current osteoarthritis began in or is otherwise caused by the Veteran’s active service, including injury from a November 1969 ammunition explosion.
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