The Board has determined that the Veteran's current left thumb and left hand disabilities are not related to service, but his right hand disability is related to an in-service injury. The issues of increased ratings for hypoglycemia and hypertension, as well as TDIU, have been remanded.
The deciding factor: The August 2012 VA examiner found that the Veteran's current right hand condition was caused by a contusion sustained during service, which is considered self-limited and not related to his current disability.
- Claimed conditions
- Left Thumb Disability, Left Hand Disability, Right Hand Disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 11, 2017
- Citation
- 1732665
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 1732665.
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 Board denied the veteran's claims for a higher rating for PTSD and dismissed his appeals regarding increased ratings for tinnitus and a right hand disability due to lack of timely filing of Notice of Disagreement.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the current evidence is insufficient to establish service connection for the Veteran's claimed disabilities, and thus remands the claims for further development.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim of service connection for PTSD is granted, and he is awarded separate initial 10 percent ratings for left hand strain with painful index finger motion and long finger motion. The claims for other disabilities are remanded.
- Denied
The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have any of the claimed disabilities and therefore, service connection for right thumb, left thumb, right index finger, left index finger, right middle finger, left middle finger, right ring finger, left ring finger, right small finger, or left small finger disabilities is denied.
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