The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to conflicting medical evidence regarding whether he has rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and unclear findings on a VA examiner's opinion about his transitional vertebrae. Additional development is needed to clarify these issues.
The deciding factor: The decision was based on conflicting medical evidence regarding the Veteran's diagnosis of RA and unclear findings from a VA examiner regarding the nature of his transitional vertebrae.
- Claimed conditions
- arthralgias of the neck, arthralgias of the hands, left arm numbness and tingling, bilateral leg numbness and tingling, bilateral osteoarthritis of the hips
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 18, 2022
- Citation
- 22064695
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 22064695.
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 claims for diabetes mellitus, left arm numbness and tingling, and bilateral foot numbness and tingling due to new evidence received since the last statement of the case.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for service connection on all issues except the bilateral leg numbness and tingling claim has been dismissed. The headache, alcohol use disorder, cervical spine, and hip disability claims have been denied.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to inadequate examination reports and lack of information regarding his claimed disabilities. The Veteran is presumed sound at entry into service, but VA will provide another examination to address these issues.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's lumbar spine disability, including its impact on his bilateral leg numbness and tingling. A new VA examination is needed to determine the current nature and severity of the lumbar spine disability.
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