The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding whether the Veteran's multiple joint pain is related to service, including his in-service anthrax vaccination and combat experience. The VA must obtain additional medical opinions to address these issues.
The deciding factor: VA needs to provide a clear opinion on whether the Veteran's symptoms are manifestations of an undiagnosed illness or separate from his service-connected disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- Multiple Joint Pain
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 3, 2023
- Citation
- 23007032
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 23007032.
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 finds that additional medical opinions are needed to determine if the Veteran's joint pain, gastrointestinal disorder, fatigue, and headaches are due to undiagnosed illness or medically unexplained chronic multisymptom illnesses.,The Board finds that additional medical opinions are needed to determine if the Veteran's ulcerative colitis is related to in-service exposure to environmental hazards or otherwise related to service.,The Board finds that additional medical opinions are needed to determine if the Veteran's fatigue is due to undiagnosed illness or medically unexplained chronic multisymptom illnesses.,The Board finds that an examination is needed to determine if the Veteran's headaches are related to in-service TBI or otherwise related to service.,The Board finds that an examination is needed to determine if the Veteran's right hand wrist strain and left hand wrist strain are related to service.,The Board finds that an examination is needed to determine if the Veteran's disability of the left hand fingers and disability of the right hand fingers are related to service.,The Board finds that an examination is needed to determine if the Veteran's cervical spine disability is related to service.,The RO combined the rating for residuals of concussion with PTSD. The Board finds that a separate rating for residuals of concussion should be considered in light of the Veteran's reported overuse injury and repetitive motion stemming from his service duties.
- Granted
The Veteran's PTSD is currently rated at 30 percent, with no specific service connection granted for other conditions. The rating reflects the current level of impairment due to PTSD alone.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including depression, insomnia, a left hip disorder, hypertension (secondary to rheumatic fever), and vision disability (secondary to rheumatic fever). The heart disability claim was also denied. New and material evidence was not received in some cases.
- Granted
The veteran's graying hair is not considered a compensable disability. The service connection for multiple joint pain, attributed to gout, has been granted with a 10% rating.
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