The Board has remanded the claim for a new VA examination to address whether the Veteran's joint pain and related disabilities are at least as likely as not related to his active duty service.
The deciding factor: The July 2021 Board decision instructed the examiner to consider the individual disabilities identified in private treatment records, including rheumatism and fibromyalgia, but did not address them collectively or in relation to each other.
- Claimed conditions
- Right Hip DJD, Neck DDD/Lumbar DDD/IVDS, Right Foot DJD, Bilateral Upper Extremity Radiculopathy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 18, 2022
- Citation
- 22009864
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 22009864.
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 Obstructive Sleep Apnea, Neck Disability, and Bilateral Upper Extremity Radiculopathy. The decision is based on the Veteran's active service and medical evidence linking these conditions to his military service.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not meet the criteria for specially adapted housing (SAH) or special home adaptation (SHA) grant due to his respiratory disability, which is presumed by the PACT Act. The Board found that the Veteran does not have a permanent and total disability resulting in anatomical loss of use of both hands, burns, or residuals of an inhalational injury.
- Granted
The Veteran's PTSD is rated at 100 percent due to total occupational and social impairment, and he is entitled to special monthly compensation (SMC) based on his service-connected disabilities.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for special monthly compensation (SMC) based on the need for aid and attendance due to service-connected disabilities, finding that there was no persuasive evidence showing he needed regular aid and assistance from another person or was housebound as a result of his service-connected conditions.
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