The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for various upper extremity and skin disorders due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology.
The deciding factor: The VA examinations provided were inadequate as they did not consider the Veteran's lay reports of symptoms and in-service treatment, nor did they engage with the Veteran's history of exposure to cold weather or dog bites.
- Claimed conditions
- Acquired psychiatric disorder (depression), Right hand disorder, Left hand disorder, Right wrist disorder, Left wrist disorder, Right arm disorder, Left arm disorder, Skin disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 15, 2022
- Citation
- 22063788
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 22063788.
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 decided to remand the case due to a duty-to-assist error and needs additional medical opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's right wrist disorder.
- Dismissed
The appeal for service connection for a left wrist disorder is dismissed. The acquired psychiatric disorder, diagnosed as paranoid schizophrenia with exacerbation and schizoaffective disorder, bipolar type, anxiety, and depression, was not shown in service and is not etiologically related to service.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed the appeal for service connection of a right hand disorder. The claims for bilateral pes planus and plantar fascitis, hypertension, and obstructive sleep apnea are granted.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to a failure to provide a VA examination for his right arm disorder, which includes numbness and tingling. The AOJ must now afford the Veteran a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of his claimed condition.
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