The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate medical opinions regarding the nature and etiology of the Veteran's arthritis of the knees, hands, and elbows. Additional development is needed.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner failed to provide a sufficient rationale for why the Veteran's claimed arthritis was not caused or aggravated by a service-connected disability beyond a finding that the Veteran had worked for many years in a laborious occupation.
- Claimed conditions
- arthritis of the knees, arthritis of the hands, arthritis of the elbows
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- November 17, 2021
- Citation
- 21069046
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 21069046.
What this means for you
A remand sends an issue back for more development, often a new examination or missing records. It does not award the benefit or decide the final outcome. The original decision explains the additional work ordered.
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 determined that new and relevant evidence has been presented to warrant readjudication of the claim for service connection for arthritis of the knees, elbows, and hands. The matter is being remanded for further consideration on a secondary basis due to the Veteran's assertions regarding his hips locking and falling into foxholes.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that there was a pre-decisional duty to assist error in not associating the Veteran's service treatment records with the claims file, and therefore the Board is unable to decide the issues currently on appeal. The Board also finds that remand for development of a longitudinal exposure record (ILER) and a TERA opinion is necessary.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's eligibility for the Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers (PCAFC) is being remanded due to a lack of adequate explanation in the VA opinion regarding whether the Veteran requires personal care services based on the criteria listed in 38 U.S.C. § 1720G(a)(2)(C) and 38 C.F.R. § 71.20(a)(3).
- Granted
The Veteran's service connection claims for vitiligo, bilateral hand degenerative arthritis, and bilateral distal radioulnar osteoarthritis have been granted.
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