The Veteran's claim for service connection for aching of muscles, bones, and joints as due to in-service exposure to herbicides is remanded. The Board finds that an addendum opinion is needed to address the nature and etiology of his diagnosed conditions, including pain-related disabilities.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner did not fully consider the Veteran's reports of pain throughout the appeal period and did not provide an opinion regarding direct service connection.
- Claimed conditions
- aching of muscles, bones, and joints, bilateral hand osteoarthritis, chronic bilateral hip pain, chronic bilateral hand pain, shoulder disability
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 20, 2023
- Citation
- 23039810
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 23039810.
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 claim of service connection for heart disability, to include hypertension and pacemaker implant, as secondary to now service-connected bilateral hand and bilateral foot osteoarthritis due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error.
- Dismissed
The appeal of the issues related to eczema and acne, carpal tunnel syndrome, cervical spine disability, shoulder disability, right ankle disability, left ankle disability, gastritis and GERD with hiatal hernia, and sleep disturbances have been dismissed.,An initial rating in excess of 10 percent for right knee pain with shin splints is denied. A rating of 10 percent, and no higher, for left leg shin splints is granted.
- Denied
The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of any claimed conditions and therefore, service connection for these conditions is denied.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for an increased evaluation of their shoulder disability has been dismissed due to the death of the Veteran during the pendency of the appeal.
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