The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hand arthritis due to the Veteran's service-connected SLE. The cases of hiatal hernia and SLE are remanded as there were issues with the reasoning provided.
The deciding factor: The decision was based on the ameliorative effects of medication, which is not allowed under Diagnostic Code 7346 for hiatal hernia and the treatment plan for SLE did not specify systemic therapy duration.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hand arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 20, 2023
- Citation
- 23066966
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 23066966.
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 determined that the evidence is insufficient to establish service connection for cause of death and remands the case for further development.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for a right hand burn with sensitivity to cold and bilateral hand arthritis due to inadequate opinions in previous VA examinations.
- Granted
The Veteran was granted a TDIU effective June 13, 2023. The effective date is fixed at the date of claim (June 13, 2022) as there is no earlier entitlement.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for multiple conditions, including an acquired psychiatric disorder, sleep apnea, hypertension, and various musculoskeletal and skin disabilities.
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