The Board finds that further development is required before the claim of entitlement for service connection for a bilateral hand disability other than carpal tunnel syndrome can be adjudicated. The case must be remanded for another VA examination.
The deciding factor: The August 2012 and August 2013 VA examinations are inadequate, as they did not consider the Veteran's statements of finger and hand pain since service and the March 2015 Naval Training Center treatment records indicating bilateral osteoarthritis of the proximal and distal interphalangeal joints.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hand disability other than carpal tunnel syndrome
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 27, 2015
- Citation
- 1545648
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 1545648.
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
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