The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for left and right ankle disabilities, as well as a right-hand disability, all secondary to fibromyalgia. The VA examiner was asked to provide opinions on whether the fibromyalgia caused or aggravated these conditions.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner did not address whether the Veteran's fibromyalgia caused or aggravated his bilateral ankle and right-hand disabilities in the previous examination.
- Claimed conditions
- left ankle degenerative joint disease, right ankle degenerative joint disease, right-hand arthralgia
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 14, 2023
- Citation
- 23009302
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 23009302.
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 granted service connection for chronic back pain as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected multiple myeloma. The appeal is being remanded for further development regarding other claimed conditions, including those potentially related to exposure at Camp Lejeune.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for increased ratings on multiple service-connected knee and hip conditions has been dismissed due to the Veteran's death during the pendency of the appeal.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for trigeminal nerve neuralgia due to the Veteran's service-connected frostbite of the ears, and increased the rating for right ankle degenerative joint disease from 10 percent to 20 percent. The claims for an increased rating for right ear frostbite and a separate rating for left ear frostbite residuals were denied.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a medical opinion to address the ameliorative effects of medication on the Veteran's left ankle disability.
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