The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding whether the Veteran's right hand degenerative joint disease began during service or was caused by his left middle finger condition.
The deciding factor: The November 2015 VA examiner did not discuss a December 1982 service treatment record and an August 2015 private rheumatologist note, which may affect the determination of whether the Veteran's right hand degenerative joint disease is related to his service or left middle finger condition.
- Claimed conditions
- right hand degenerative joint disease, left middle finger service-connected condition
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 5, 2018
- Citation
- 18116096
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 18116096.
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 remands the claims for service connection for right hand degenerative joint disease, left hand degenerative joint disease, right knee arthritis, left knee patellofemoral arthritis, and right hip osteoarthritis and degenerative joint disease to obtain additional medical opinions.
- Dismissed
The appeal of a proposed rating reduction for a lumbar disorder is dismissed, and the claim for service connection for dyslipidemia is denied. Several claims for service connection are remanded.
- Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's claims for annual clothing allowances for his back brace and bilateral knee braces in 2020, but denied the claim for a right ankle brace due to lack of service-connected disability.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for recurrent right hand and left foot disabilities due to inadequate VA examinations and the need for additional development of the record.
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