The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining updated VA treatment records and scheduling the Veteran for a VA examination to assess his service-connected upper extremity disabilities. The AOJ must also refer the matter of entitlement to an extraschedular rating under 38 C.F.R. § 4.16(b) for the time period prior to November 27, 2006, and issue a statement of the case on the Veteran's claim for an effective date prior to November 27, 2006, for entitlement to Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA).
The deciding factor: The appeal is being remanded due to incomplete development of evidence concerning the Veteran's employability and the need for additional VA examinations.
- Claimed conditions
- right upper extremity polyneuropathy, left upper extremity polyneuropathy, degenerative changes of metacarpophalangeal joint of the right index finger, degenerative changes of metacarpophalangeal joint of the right thumb, degenerative changes of metacarpophalangeal joint of the left index finger
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 5, 2017
- Citation
- 1737079
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 1737079.
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.
- Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for loss of bowel and bladder function but granted a 60% rating for right and left lower extremity sciatic peripheral neuropathy, and a 50% rating for right upper extremity polyneuropathy, effective from March 18, 2023.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a 40 percent rating for right upper extremity polyneuropathy, a 30 percent rating for left upper extremity polyneuropathy, and a 40 percent rating for both right lower extremity and left lower extremity polyneuropathy. Special monthly compensation was denied.
- Granted
The Board granted earlier effective dates for service connection of idiopathic peripheral neuropathy in the bilateral feet and upper extremities, based on new and material evidence received within one year of a prior denial.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that additional development is needed to determine the etiology of the Veteran's Parkinson's disease and polyneuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities, which are currently service-connected. The Veteran asserts that his conditions are related to in-service exposure to trichlorethylene (TCE).
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