The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional examinations and development of records. The left fifth finger disability needs to be reassessed, and a hearing loss examination is required.
The deciding factor: Additional evidence and information are needed to properly assess the current severity of the left fifth finger disability and the nature and etiology of the Veteran's hearing loss.
- Claimed conditions
- ankylosis of the left fifth finger
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 29, 2018
- Citation
- 1805602
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 1805602.
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 Board has remanded the case for further development and an addendum medical opinion. The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is not related to his military service, and a compensable rating for ankylosis of the left fifth finger requires additional examination.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have a combined rating of 90 percent, with at least one disability rated 40 percent or more. The Veteran is unable to secure and follow substantially gainful employment due to his service-connected disabilities.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected coronary artery disease, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the severity of his condition.
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