The Veteran's right knee disorder, lower gastrointestinal disorder, and related shoulder disorders are being remanded for further evaluation due to the need for additional medical opinions. The lumbar spine disorder is also being remanded as it involves a secondary service connection claim.
The deciding factor: The claims involve secondary service connection determinations which require an opinion regarding whether the current conditions are at least as likely as not caused or aggravated by pre-existing service-connected conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), Right knee disorder, Lower gastrointestinal disorder, Right shoulder disorder, Left shoulder disorder, Lumbar spine disorder, Cervical spine disorder, Headaches, Right upper extremity radiculopathy, Left upper extremity radiculopathy, Right lower extremity radiculopathy
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 28, 2022
- Citation
- 22060587
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 22060587.
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 has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for a cervical spine disorder and psychiatric disorder due to incomplete information. The Veteran needs to provide his complete service personnel records, verify his alleged combat experience in Vietnam, and undergo VA examinations for both conditions.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a cervical spine disorder, finding that there was no evidence of a causal relationship between his current condition and his military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal for service connection for Dupuytren's contracture of the left hand, right hand, and GERD is remanded due to inadequate VA examination opinions and failure to consider toxic exposure risk activities during service.
- Denied
The Veteran's GERD is currently rated at 10 percent disabling, but the Board found that his symptoms do not meet or approximate the criteria for a higher rating.
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