The Board has determined that a VA examination is needed to address the Veteran's claims for service connection for arthritis of the right pinky finger and a back disability. The case will be remanded for further development.
The deciding factor: The evidence does not contain sufficient competent medical evidence to decide the claim, but contains competent evidence of a disability or symptoms of a disability, and indicates that the claimed disabilities may be associated with the Veteran's active military service.
- Claimed conditions
- arthritis of the right pinky finger, degenerative arthritis of the back
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 11, 2017
- Citation
- 1715878
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 1715878.
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 Veteran's bilateral foot, hand, and hip conditions are remanded due to a duty to assist error. The AOJ is instructed to obtain new medical opinions regarding whether these conditions are aggravated by the Veteran's inability to take NSAIDs due to his service-connected kidney removal.
- Denied
The Board denied a compensable rating for the Veteran's right hip strain, impairment of thigh and remanded the claim for an increased rating for degenerative arthritis of the back.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals for service connection of various joint disabilities have been dismissed due to his death.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including degenerative arthritis of the back and multiple hip, knee, ankle, and plantar fasciitis conditions, rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation. The Board granted TDIU effective December 12, 2018.
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