The Board remands the claims for service connection for multiple joint arthritis and neuropathy to obtain a clarifying medical opinion regarding their etiology, specifically addressing presumed herbicide agent exposure during active duty.
The deciding factor: The remand is required due to an incomplete medical opinion that did not address all aspects of the Veteran's claims, including the private opinion from Dr. C. and the inservice report of right knee pain without trauma.
- Claimed conditions
- arthritis of multiple joints (ankles, knees, hands, wrists, elbows, shoulders), right hip neuropathy, right upper extremity neuropathy, right lower extremity neuropathy, left upper extremity neuropathy, left lower extremity neuropathy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 2, 2025
- Citation
- 25007418
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 the veteran's claims for service connection for left and right upper extremity neuropathy, finding that there was no evidence of these conditions during service or within a reasonable time thereafter, and that they were not caused by toxic exposure or any other in-service event.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions and a TDIU, as the evidence did not support a finding that any of these disabilities were related to the Veteran's military service.
- Dismissed
The appeals for service connection for various conditions were dismissed due to the Veteran's death.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus, a right shoulder disability, diabetes mellitus type II, left and right lower extremity neuropathy, and a bilateral foot disability as secondary to diabetes mellitus due to lack of new and relevant evidence.
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