The Board has reopened the Veteran's claims for service connection for right thumb and right elbow disabilities due to new evidence received since the final decisions. However, these claims are still pending as further development is required.
The deciding factor: New evidence submitted by the Veteran raises a reasonable possibility of substantiating his claims for service connection for right thumb and right elbow disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- Right Thumb Disability, Right Elbow Disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- May 17, 2018
- Citation
- 18103163
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 18103163.
What this means for you
A remand sends an issue back for more development, often a new examination or missing records. It does not award the benefit or decide the final outcome. The original decision explains the additional work ordered.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the Veteran's current right shoulder disability is not related to service, but the right elbow disability requires further review due to a duty-to-assist error in obtaining an inadequate medical opinion.
- Whole decision: Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals for a compensable evaluation for a right thumb disability and TDIU prior to October 13, 2016 have been dismissed due to the finality of previous decisions by the Board and the Court.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for increased ratings of his acquired psychiatric, cervical spine, lumbar spine, right thumb, right index finger, and right long finger disabilities.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to duty to assist errors identified during higher-level review. The Veteran's right knee and right elbow disabilities are now subject to further development.
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