The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to insufficient opinions regarding the relationship between the Veteran's joint pain and his service-connected diabetes mellitus, type II.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner did not provide an opinion addressing whether any of the complications associated with the Veteran's service-connected diabetes mellitus, type II (to include peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities, erectile dysfunction, and onychosis), caused or aggravated his joint pain.
- Claimed conditions
- Joint pain affecting the neck, back, and legs, Degenerative arthritis of the cervical spine, Degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine, Bilateral knees
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 26, 2023
- Citation
- 23058203
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 23058203.
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 claim for increased ratings for degenerative arthritis of the cervical spine and lumbar spine was granted with effective dates of May 13, 2019.
- Granted
The Veteran's degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine was diagnosed during service and has continued since then. The Board granted service connection for this condition based on continuity of symptomatology.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to inadequate examinations and the need for a retrospective opinion regarding the severity of his service-connected lumbar spine disability.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's low back disability, diagnosed as degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine, is related to service and granted service connection for this condition.
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