The Veteran's rheumatoid arthritis of the hands, ankles, and toes is granted service connection. The Veteran's Alzheimer's disease and cervical spine DDD are remanded for further examination and opinion.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the evidence was at least in equipoise as to whether the Veteran's rheumatoid arthritis had its onset during service, thus granting service connection.
- Claimed conditions
- rheumatoid arthritis of the hands, ankles, and toes, Alzheimer's disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 1, 2021
- Citation
- 21071869
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 21071869.
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 issue of entitlement to service connection for Alzheimer's disease due to a need for additional evidence and an updated medical opinion.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that the chronic use of NSAIDs to manage his service-connected disabilities substantially and materially contributed to the Veteran's Alzheimer's disease and Acute Kidney Injury.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a neurological disorder, to include progressive aphasia, Parkinsonism, and Alzheimer's disease, due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error regarding the Veteran's exposure to herbicides in service.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for Alzheimer's disease and an initial compensable evaluation for chronic sinusitis, prior to February 1, 2022.
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