The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding whether the Veteran's right-hand arthritis is aggravated by his service-connected right-hand scar. The Veteran needs to provide private medical records from Kaiser Permanente and a VA clinician must provide an addendum opinion addressing this issue.
The deciding factor: The decision was not clear on whether the Veteran's right-hand arthritis was aggravated by his service-connected right-hand scar, necessitating further clarification through a new VA opinion.
- Claimed conditions
- right-hand arthritis
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 30, 2021
- Citation
- 21071617
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 21071617.
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 service connection for left knee condition, right-hand arthritis as secondary to carpal tunnel syndrome, sleep disorder as secondary to PTSD, and denied service connection for neck condition as secondary to back condition. The effective dates of these decisions are not specified in the decision.
- Granted
The Veteran's Chiari malformation, migraine headaches, dizziness and vertigo, bilateral lower extremity sciatica-like paresthesias (claimed as sciatica), right bundle branch block, and right-hand arthritis are all granted service connection.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for right-hand arthritis, finding that it was not incurred or aggravated by his military service and did not manifest within one year of separation.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for a compensable rating for his service-connected right-hand arthritis, affecting the third metacarpophalangeal joint was denied as x-ray evidence did not show involvement of two or more major joints or minor joint groups. The preponderance of the evidence reflects that the criteria for a compensable rating have not been met.
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