The Board remands the claims for service connection for bilateral ankle, left elbow, and bilateral hand conditions due to inadequate medical opinions that did not adequately consider the Veteran's lay statements.
The deciding factor: The addendum medical opinions were found insufficient as they did not properly address the Veteran's credible lay assertions regarding in-service injuries and occupational duties.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral ankle condition, Left elbow condition, Bilateral hand condition
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 23, 2024
- Citation
- 24003413
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 Board granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss, arthritis of the cervical spine, cervical radiculopathy of the left arm, back disability, left elbow condition, left shoulder condition, left wrist condition, left hand condition, hypertension, and an initial rating of 10 percent for coronary arteriosclerosis prior to September 24, 2024.
- Partly granted
The Board denied an initial compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss and remanded the service connection claims for vertigo, dry eye syndrome, and various bilateral conditions due to insufficient evidence.
- Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for GERD and remanded the claims for bilateral ankle, knee, hip, headache, and lower back conditions due to insufficient evidence.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, a heart condition, and left and right knee conditions to obtain additional evidence.
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