The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for arthritis of the spine, bilateral hands/fingers, bilateral hips, bilateral knees, bilateral shoulders, and bilateral wrists, as well as his skin condition claim due to insufficient rationale in the VA examiners' opinions. The AOJ is instructed to seek new opinions that consider the Veteran's MOS and STRs.
The deciding factor: The Board found the previous opinions lacking sufficient rationale and requested new opinions considering the Veteran's military occupational specialty (MOS) and service treatment records (STRs).
- Claimed conditions
- arthritis of the spine, bilateral hands/fingers, bilateral hips, bilateral knees, bilateral shoulders, bilateral wrists
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 21, 2023
- Citation
- 23040215
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 23040215.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran's TDIU was granted effective April 8, 2020. The Board found that VA failed to properly notify the Veteran of his intent to file a claim and thus the earlier date is valid.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal was dismissed due to their death during the pendency of the appeal.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to a duty to assist error regarding whether the Veteran's service-connected knee disabilities may have caused or aggravated his sleep apnea.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for service connection for bilateral knees and lower back was denied due to a late filing of the Board Appeal request, which is not considered timely given the one-year deadline from the date of the rating decision. The VA has determined that good cause was not shown to extend the time limit.
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