The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient rationale in the VA medical opinions regarding the etiology of the Veteran's artery and vein conditions, specifically Raynaud's syndrome and Erythromelalgia. The Veteran is presumed exposed to Gulf War exposure risk activities during his service in the Southwest Asia theater of operations.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the March 2023, August 2023 addendum, and September 2023 VA medical opinions are not supported by sufficient rationale to make an informed decision on the claim due to their reliance on the absence of treatment records during and after service.
- Claimed conditions
- Raynaud's syndrome, Erythromelalgia
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Gulf War
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 4, 2024
- Citation
- 24000620
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 857 · Granted: 35% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 24000620.
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.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for earlier effective date for service connection of Raynaud's syndrome associated with frostbite is denied. The Board found that the issue was not reasonably raised at the time of the December 1986 rating decision.
- Granted
The Veteran's Raynaud's syndrome, which manifested during service and has been continuously pursued since then, is granted an initial disability evaluation of 40 percent effective January 24, 2016.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection and increased evaluations due to the need for medical opinions regarding potential exposure to toxins during service.
- Denied
The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have Raynaud's syndrome or residuals of a cold weather injury to the extremities, and therefore, service connection for these conditions is denied.
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