The Board has determined that there has not been substantial compliance with the previous remand directives and thus, another remand is required to clarify whether the Veteran has a separate disability under the diagnosis of Sjogren's syndrome, and whether that disability is related to service or is proximately due to or aggravated by a service connected disability.
The deciding factor: The Board found the opinions provided were contradictory and speculative, and did not comply with the previous remand directives regarding differentiation between symptoms attributable to the Veteran's service-connected connective tissue disability and those caused by his claimed Sjogren's syndrome.
- Claimed conditions
- Sjogren's syndrome, undifferentiated connective tissue disease with myositis
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 3, 2022
- Citation
- 22044212
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 22044212.
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
Service connection for rheumatoid arthritis and Sjogren's syndrome is granted.,Service connection for hypertension is remanded due to insufficient evidence regarding its onset in service or as a result of a disease or injury in active service.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected conditions, including lupus and Sjogren's syndrome, were granted. The rating for Raynaud's disease was restored to a lower level, and the effective dates for TDIU and DEA were established.
- Dismissed
The Board has dismissed the appeals for increased rating for Raynaud's disease and service connection for Sjogren's syndrome as the appellant withdrew her appeal prior to a decision.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's Sjogren's syndrome is remanded due to inadequate VA examinations and a pre-decisional duty-to-assist error.
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