The Board remands the claims for service connection for inflammatory polyarthritis of both hands and bone atrophy, secondary to other conditions, due to an inadequate VA examination.
The deciding factor: The VA examiners' opinions are found inadequate as they did not address a theory of entitlement reasonably raised by the record regarding the Veteran's hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) causing or aggravating his inflammatory polyarthritis in both hands.
- Claimed conditions
- inflammatory polyarthritis of left and right hands, bone atrophy
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 10, 2025
- Citation
- A25106237
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,861 · Granted: 27% (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 A25106237.
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 granted service connection for chronic lymphocytic leukemia and bone atrophy as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected disability of chronic lymphocytic leukemia.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for further development and evidence gathering.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including cardiovascular disorder, anxiety disorder, depression, sleep apnea (OSA), skin disorder, neurological disorder, scleroderma, hearing loss, bone atrophy, and vision disorder. The decision found no evidence of these conditions during or immediately after service, and did not find a link to exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's headaches are at least as likely as not caused by his service-connected traumatic brain injury, and thus grants service connection for this condition.
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.