The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for a new VA examination to assess the current severity of his right thumb and sternum disabilities, as well as their impact on his employment and daily activities. The claims will be readjudicated after obtaining any identified private or VA treatment records.
The deciding factor: The Board found that more than five years had elapsed since the last VA examination, which is considered outdated given the Veteran's reported worsening symptoms.
- Claimed conditions
- right thumb sprain, chipped sternum
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 2, 2010
- Citation
- 1041060
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 1041060.
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 increased ratings and service connection, finding that the evidence did not support higher ratings or a grant of service connection.
- Partly granted
The Veteran's left and right lower extremity sciatic nerve radiculopathy were granted a rating of 40 percent, but no higher. The claims for increased ratings for the femoral nerve radiculopathy and service connection for dental disability, right thumb sprain, sleep apnea, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, cervical spine degenerative arthritis with spinal stenosis, and TDIU were denied.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands all service connection claims for further development, including obtaining a VA examination to determine the etiology of the Veteran's claimed conditions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remanded the veteran's claims for service connection of right thumb sprain, left thumb sprain, and left shoulder condition. The Board found that medical opinions were inadequate and needed to address the veteran's theory of entitlement due to chemical exposure in Southwest Asia.
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