The Board remands the claims for service connection for rheumatoid arthritis of various body parts due to in-service exposure to hazardous materials, as an addendum opinion is needed.
The deciding factor: Further evidence and an addendum opinion are required to determine if the Veteran's current rheumatoid arthritis is related to his in-service exposure to hazardous materials.
- Claimed conditions
- rheumatoid arthritis of the left hip, rheumatoid arthritis of the right hip, rheumatoid arthritis of the left knee, rheumatoid arthritis of the right knee, rheumatoid arthritis of the left hand, rheumatoid arthritis of the right hand, rheumatoid arthritis of the left shoulder, rheumatoid arthritis of the right shoulder
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 19, 2025
- Citation
- A25100513
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,676 · Granted: 24% (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 A25100513.
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.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed the Veteran's appeals for service connection of rheumatoid arthritis of the left shoulder, right shoulder, left hip, and left knee due to his withdrawal of the appeal.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient evidence regarding whether his lumbar condition is a congenital defect or if it was aggravated by military service. The VA examiner will need to provide opinions on these matters.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient evidence regarding whether his lumbar condition is a congenital defect or disease, and if so, whether it was aggravated by military service. The Veteran also seeks service connection for radiculopathy of both lower extremities.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for lumbar disc disease, left hip injury and arthritis, and right hip injury and arthritis. The decision is based on new evidence received after the April 2020 rating decision that supports a finding of in-service causation.
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