The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding whether the Veteran's right wrist arthritis was caused or aggravated by his service-connected left hand/forearm disabilities. The claim will be reviewed with a new opinion from an orthopedic expert.
The deciding factor: The previous VA examiner did not provide sufficient rationale for their conclusions, specifically failing to apply relevant medical literature to the specific facts of the case and distinguishing between causation and aggravation.
- Claimed conditions
- Right wrist arthritis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 1, 2022
- Citation
- 22049995
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 22049995.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's eligibility for enrollment in VA's Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers (PCAFC) due to her not requiring personal care services for a minimum of six continuous months based on an inability to perform one or more activities of daily living, a need for supervision or protection, or a need for regular or extensive instruction without which the ability to function in daily life would be seriously impaired.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands all service connection claims for further development and to correct a pre-decisional duty to assist error.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for right wrist, bilateral shoulder, and cervical spine disabilities due to inadequate medical opinions. The Veteran contends that his current conditions are related to an in-service fall.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claim for service connection for a right wrist disability, finding that there is insufficient evidence to support the claim and requiring an updated medical opinion.
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