The veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development of his medical records, including nerve conduction studies and a CT scan of the paranasal sinuses. The issues include seeking higher initial ratings for left hand disability, bilateral maxillary sinusitis, and nasal rhinitis.
The deciding factor: Additional evidence is needed to determine the current severity and functional impairment caused by the veteran's service-connected disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- transsection of the left ulnar branch of the lateral digital nerve of the fifth digit of the left hand, bilateral maxillary sinusitis, nasal rhinitis status-post fracture
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 14, 2005
- Citation
- 0503828
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 362 · 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 0503828.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for bilateral maxillary sinusitis, Bell's palsy, and chronic mastoiditis as secondary to service-connected bilateral hearing loss due to inadequate medical opinions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for an initial rating and TDIU are being remanded due to the need for a new examination of his bilateral maxillary sinusitis.
- Denied
The Board denied an initial disability rating greater than 10 percent for hepatitis C and denied a compensable disability rating for bilateral maxillary sinusitis.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD and sleep apnea, have rendered him unable to secure or maintain gainful employment for the period from November 20, 2014 to September 24, 2015. The Board has granted TDIU based on this evidence.
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