The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including obtaining medical opinions on the etiology of his upper extremity disabilities and dermatitis. The issues include service connection for left and right upper extremity disabilities manifesting in pain and numbness, as well as an initial disability evaluation for dermatitis.
The deciding factor: The Federal Circuit has clarified that secondary service connection is warranted where a nonservice-connected disability would have been less severe 'but-for' a service connected disability, either because there is an etiological link or because the service-connected disability resulted in the inability to treat the non-service-connected disability. The Board will remand for obtaining opinions addressing these criteria.
- Claimed conditions
- left upper extremity disability manifesting in pain and numbness, right upper extremity disability manifesting in pain and numbness, service-connected dermatitis
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 6, 2023
- Citation
- 23048970
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 23048970.
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.
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- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's headaches are at least as likely as not caused by his service-connected traumatic brain injury, and thus grants service connection for this condition.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hypertension and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology.
- Granted
The Veteran's major depressive disorder is found to be caused by his service-connected low back and radiculopathy disabilities, which prevent him from doing enjoyable activities and daily living tasks.
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