The Board has remanded the claims of bilateral hand and foot conditions due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner's opinions were found inadequate and not in substantial compliance with the May 2020 Remand directives, particularly concerning the claimed bilateral foot conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hand conditions, degenerative arthritis of the hands bilaterally
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 19, 2024
- Citation
- A24039368
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 A24039368.
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 has granted service connection for bilateral hand conditions, finding that the Veteran's active-duty service contributed to his development of osteoarthritis in both hands.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to incomplete medical records and inadequate opinions regarding the nature and etiology of the Veteran's claimed bilateral hand and wrist conditions. The AOJ is required to obtain additional medical records, including those from Lawrence Joel Army Health Clinic, Elite Family Practice, Physiotherapy Associates, and Craniospinal Institute of Georgia. An independent medical expert (IME) opinion is also needed.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has found that the VA treatment of methadone and morphine caused multiple falls, resulting in additional orthopedic, neurological, cognitive, and vision disabilities. The claims are remanded for further development.
- Denied
The Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including major depressive disorder with anxiety features, bilateral shoulder, hand, and knee conditions, neck condition, back condition, sleep condition, and gastrointestinal condition are all denied. The Board found no current diagnoses or evidence of these conditions during the pendency of the claim.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.