The Board has determined that a VA examination is needed to assess the Veteran's right wrist and bilateral foot conditions, as his service treatment records are unavailable due to a fire at the National Personnel Records Center. The appeal for these issues is REMANDED.
The deciding factor: VA's duty to assist requires providing an examination or obtaining an opinion when necessary to make a decision on the claim, given that the Veteran's service treatment records are lost and his claims involve medical diagnoses and etiology opinions.
- Claimed conditions
- Right wrist condition, Bilateral foot condition
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 9, 2018
- Citation
- 1801238
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 1801238.
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 an initial compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss and remanded the service connection claims for vertigo, dry eye syndrome, and various bilateral conditions due to insufficient evidence.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed the petitions to reopen claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus type II and a right wrist condition due to the withdrawal of the appeals by the Veteran's attorney.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for vertigo, secondary to tinnitus and a compensable rating for the cesarean section scar. The claims for service connection for left ankle condition, right ankle status post achilles tendon repair, right shoulder condition, left shoulder condition, osteoarthritis of both hips, right wrist condition, and left wrist condition were remanded.
- Remanded (sent back)
The claims for service connection for a bilateral foot condition and left knee condition are to be readjudicated, as the evidence of record is insufficient to make a decision on the merits.
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