The Veteran is seeking service connection for a disability of the left hand including fingers, which he claims as due to or part of his service-connected left wrist disability. The case has been remanded for further examination and opinion regarding the relationship between the claimed disability and service.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner found no specific diagnosis for the left hand disability but noted clinical evidence of arthritis and radial nerve axonal loss, which may be related to the Veteran's 1985 injury in service. The case is being remanded for a neurologist examination to clarify the relationship between the claimed disability and service.
- Claimed conditions
- left hand arthritis, radial nerve axonal loss
- How they argued it
- Aggravation of a pre-existing condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 16, 2014
- Citation
- 1455420
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 1455420.
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 Veteran's appeals for service connection for right hand arthritis and left hand arthritis have been dismissed.,The Veteran's appeals for a higher rating for lumbar strain, radiculopathy of the left sciatic nerve, and radiculopathy of the right sciatic nerve have been remanded.
- Dismissed
The appeal of the proposed reduction in PTSD rating from 70% to 50%, and for service connection claims related to various joints and diabetes mellitus type II, has been dismissed due to procedural issues. The Veteran withdrew his appeals.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case for a VA examination to determine if any current left hand disability, including arthritis, is related to an in-service injury or disease.
- Denied
The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and chronic sinusitis are not service-connected as there is no evidence of current disabilities.,The Veteran does not have a diagnosed condition of left hand arthritis, right hand arthritis, or shoulder arthritis.
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