The Board has determined that a new VA examination and opinions are required to address the Veteran's claims for service connection of disabilities of the bilateral upper and lower extremities, as the previous examinations and opinions did not adequately consider his reported symptoms since service.
The deciding factor: The most recent VA opinion related the right hand symptoms to a 2018 x-ray finding, but did not explain or address the Veteran's report of chronic symptoms since his in-service frostbite.
- Claimed conditions
- Right Lower Extremity, Left Lower Extremity, Right Upper Extremity, Left Upper Extremity
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 26, 2022
- Citation
- 22042397
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 22042397.
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea and status post left shoulder surgeries, but denied service connection for lumbosacral strain, sciatic pain in the right leg, sciatic pain in the left leg, right big toe pain, and a right upper extremity disability.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings and TDIU have been dismissed due to his death. The Board has no jurisdiction to adjudicate the merits of these claims as he passed away during their pendency.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to issues with his right and left knee disabilities, as well as his upper extremity and spine disabilities. The decision also notes that the Veteran's hearing loss disability is related to noise exposure during service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the cases for additional examinations and evaluations due to worsening symptoms of the Veteran's disabilities. The right upper extremity, left lower extremity, and right shoulder conditions are all being reviewed.
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