The Veteran's claim for service connection for residuals of a left hand middle finger fracture is being remanded due to the unavailability of his service treatment records. The Board will attempt to obtain private treatment records from Dr. Benjamin Sung and schedule the Veteran for a VA examination to determine if any diagnosed left hand middle finger disability is related to his active military service, including an inservice carpentry shop incident.
The deciding factor: The service treatment records are unavailable, which triggers the heightened obligation to assist in developing the case. The Board will attempt to obtain private treatment records and schedule a VA examination to determine if any diagnosed left hand middle finger disability is related to his active military service.
- Claimed conditions
- residuals of partial amputation of the left hand middle finger
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 12, 2011
- Citation
- 1145174
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 1145174.
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 has remanded the case due to new medical evidence submitted by the Veteran, and the issue of service connection for residuals of partial amputation of the left hand middle finger will be reconsidered.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected coronary artery disease, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the severity of his condition.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected musculoligamentous strain, right knee, is currently rated at 10 percent and the Board finds that a higher rating is not warranted.
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