The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for osteoarthritis of the left wrist and a back disability, to include degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine and thoracic spondylosis, as secondary to service-connected lower extremity disabilities. The remand requires additional development including obtaining updated medical opinions that address all relevant evidence.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the previous VA examiners did not provide adequate rationale for their conclusions regarding the onset of the Veteran's left wrist osteoarthritis and back disability, as well as the relationship to service-connected lower extremity disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- osteoarthritis of the left wrist, degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine and thoracic spondylosis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 15, 2025
- Citation
- 25000540
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,757 · Granted: 23% (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 25000540.
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 denied service connection for osteoarthritis of the left wrist and a back disability (lumbar spine and thoracic spondylosis) due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to service or service-connected disabilities.
- Granted
The Veteran's ganglion cyst of the left hand is found to be related to service. The VA examiner could not provide a nexus opinion regarding his osteoarthritis of the left wrist, but the Board finds that the requirement for current disability has been met and service connection is granted.
- Denied
The Veteran's osteoarthritis of the left wrist is currently rated at 10 percent, but does not meet the criteria for a higher rating as there is no ankylosis or comparable impairment. The current rating adequately reflects his symptoms and functional limitations.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran is seeking a higher rating for osteoarthritis of the left wrist. The case has been remanded due to the need for a new VA examination.
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