The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate medical opinions regarding whether rheumatism is caused or aggravated by service-connected PTSD. Additional VA treatment records are needed, and the Veteran's submitted literature on the relationship between PTSD and autoimmune disorders must be considered.
The deciding factor: The medical opinions provided were inadequate as they did not consider all relevant medical literature submitted by the Veteran.
- Claimed conditions
- rheumatism
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 29, 2022
- Citation
- 22066290
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 22066290.
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 service connection for a stomach disorder, to include GERD and rheumatism as the evidence did not support that these conditions began during active service or are related to an in-service injury.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete evidence, including missing treatment records from a private medical facility in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Veteran's rheumatism condition is related to his service exposure to cleaning supplies and airborne pathogens, but it did not manifest within the presumptive period for this chronic disease.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals for higher ratings for bilateral hearing loss disability, service connection for rheumatism, and service connection for avitaminosis with easy fatigability and body weakness have been dismissed due to the death of the Veteran during the appeal process.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including rheumatism, arthritis, hearing loss, respiratory disability (pneumonia, pleural effusion, tuberculosis), atherosclerotic aorta, headaches, and anemia, finding no evidence of radiation exposure or other link to service.
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