The Board has decided to remand the claims for service connection for hand numbness and pericarditis due to an error in contacting the Veteran's representative during a Higher-Level Review (HLR). The AOJ must conduct an informal conference with the representative.
The deciding factor: The AOJ used the incorrect phone number to contact the Veteran's representative, which prevented an informal conference from being held. This error means that the claims cannot be decided without further review and correction of this procedural issue.
- Claimed conditions
- hand numbness (paresthesia), pericarditis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 3, 2024
- Citation
- A24051774
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 A24051774.
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 Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for pericarditis, finding that there is no current diagnosis of this condition and noting that the Veteran did not present any signs or symptoms qualifying as an undiagnosed illness or a medically unexplained chronic multisymptom illness under Persian Gulf War presumptive provisions.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for a heart disability, finding that the Veteran's conditions are not related to his military service.
- Granted
The Board granted the restoration of a 100 percent evaluation for pericarditis and special monthly compensation based on housebound criteria, effective November 1, 2024.
- Dismissed
The appeal of the October 2022 rating decision finding no new and relevant evidence to readjudicate the claim for service connection for myocardial infarction, myocarditis, and pericarditis was dismissed as procedurally defective.
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