The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral ankle, left elbow, and bilateral hand conditions due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology. The VA is required to obtain a new opinion from an appropriate examiner.
The deciding factor: The VA needs to provide a more definitive opinion on whether the Veteran's current conditions are related to her active duty service or preexisted it without aggravation.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Ankle Condition, Left Elbow Condition, Bilateral Hand Condition
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 6, 2023
- Citation
- 23021181
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 23021181.
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 service connection due to new and relevant evidence received, including VA examinations and opinions that tend to prove or disprove the Veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder. The cervical spine condition is denied as there was no in-service onset or chronicity.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for neck, left shoulder, left elbow, and left pectoral conditions due to insufficient medical evidence. The Veteran's reports of in-service injuries are being evaluated along with post-service symptoms.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a rating of 70 percent for PTSD and denied ratings in excess of 50 percent for OSA, IBS, and headaches. The Board also granted service connection for right elbow, left wrist, neck, and left leg shin splints conditions.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for respiratory insufficiency, cardiac arrhythmia, fatigue, and a left elbow condition, while denying service connection for other specified depressive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, an initial disability rating in excess of 50 percent for PTSD, and an initial compensable disability rating for epidydimal cyst. The Board also denied an increased rating for lumbosacral strain.
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