The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for a new VA examination to assess the current nature and severity of his service-connected right ring finger disability, including its impact on surrounding fingers.
The deciding factor: The Veteran testified that his service-connected right ring finger disability affects the functionality of surrounding fingers. The Board finds another examination necessary to determine this functional impairment.
- Claimed conditions
- Right ring finger disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 4, 2015
- Citation
- 1546715
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 1546715.
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 Veteran's right long finger disability is currently rated at 10 percent, the maximum schedular rating available under Diagnostic Code 5229.,The Veteran's right ring finger disability is currently rated at noncompensable (zero percent), which is the maximum schedular rating available under Diagnostic Code 5230.,The scars on the neck and upper back area are not productive of visible or palpable tissue loss, gross distortion, or asymmetry. Therefore, they do not meet the criteria for a compensable rating under Diagnostic Code 7800.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for all the claimed conditions as there was no evidence of a current disability in accordance with VA standards.
- Partly granted
The Board granted initial ratings for the Veteran's right thumb, index finger, and long finger disabilities, as well as a separate rating for his left thumb disability. The claims for increased ratings for the right ring and little fingers, and left ring and little fingers were denied.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for degenerative arthritis of the thoracolumbar spine, left knee osteoarthritis, and left ankle sprain, while denying service connection for hypertension. The Board also granted an initial 20% rating for bilateral dry eye syndrome but denied compensable ratings for bilateral pinguecula and a right ring finger disability.
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