The Veteran's claim for service connection for chronic joint pain of the fingers and toes is being remanded due to the need for further development, including a musculoskeletal examination and an opinion on whether his symptoms are related to military service or exposure to herbicide agents.
The deciding factor: Further medical evaluation is needed to determine if the Veteran's joint pain is related to his military service or exposure to herbicide agents.
- Claimed conditions
- chronic joint pain of the fingers and toes
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- Gulf War
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 5, 2021
- Citation
- 21027381
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 21027381.
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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal regarding service connection for chronic joint pain of the fingers and toes, due to an undiagnosed illness or medically unexplained chronic multi-symptom illness under 38 C.F.R. § 3.317 and/or herbicide exposure, has been dismissed as the appellant requested withdrawal.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected coronary artery disease, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the severity of his condition.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected musculoligamentous strain, right knee, is currently rated at 10 percent and the Board finds that a higher rating is not warranted.
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