The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for a right hand condition and respiratory condition due to incomplete development of evidence, including missing STRs and prison medical records. The Veteran's representative argues that his STRs are located at VA’s Records Management Center in St. Louis, MO.
The deciding factor: Incomplete documentation of efforts to obtain the Veteran's service treatment records (STRs) from official sources and prison medical records has been noted.
- Claimed conditions
- right hand condition, respiratory condition (COPD)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 9, 2018
- Citation
- 18117096
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 18117096.
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The Board has withdrawn the Veteran's appeals for service connection for GERD and skin cancer. The claims of service connection for tinnitus, allergic rhinitis, chronic sinusitis, and a respiratory condition (COPD) are being remanded due to a duty to assist error.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for service connection have been remanded due to errors in notification letters.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded five service connection claims for a left knee condition, vertigo, lung condition, right hand condition, and bilateral hearing loss. The Veteran's claims are being remanded due to the need for additional development of his medical records from Cooper Hospital.
- Granted
The Veteran's hypertension, bilateral hip conditions, right hand condition, and OSA are all found to be related to his military service.,Service connection is granted for these conditions.
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