The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to inadequacies in the most recent VA medical opinions. The Veteran's DJD of thoracolumbar spine, left shoulder, and left knee are being reviewed again to determine if they are related to his service-connected DJD of his left ankle and/or left hand.
The deciding factor: The Board found that more medical comment is needed due to inadequacies in the most recent VA medical opinions regarding secondary service connection.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative Joint Disease (DJD) of thoracolumbar spine, DJD of left shoulder, DJD of left knee, Psoriatic arthritis
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 6, 2021
- Citation
- 21040597
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 21040597.
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 claim for a TDIU to obtain additional medical opinions regarding the Veteran's service-connected conditions and their impact on his employability.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the VA did not obtain an adequate medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's back disability is related to his Gulf War service. The case is being remanded for further evaluation.
- Granted
The Veteran is granted a nonservice-connected pension since October [REDACTED], 2020, due to his age and inability to work due to disabilities. Prior to this date, the Veteran's disabilities did not prevent him from securing and following a substantially gainful employment.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for a neck disability characterized as degenerative disc disease and psoriatic arthritis of the cervical spine, finding that the Veteran's symptoms have been chronic since service.
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