The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for right fourth finger and thumb disabilities, as well as residuals of a low back injury and gastritis. Additional evidence is needed to determine if these conditions are related to active service.
The deciding factor: Additional medical opinions are required to assess whether the veteran's current diagnoses are related to his military service.
- Claimed conditions
- Right Fourth Finger Disability, Right Thumb Disability, Residuals of a Low Back Injury, Gastritis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 15, 2018
- Citation
- 18126565
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 18126565.
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 Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to a duty to assist error. The VA needs to obtain examination reports and determine if the service-connected conditions meet the criteria for specially adapted housing and special home adaptation grant.
- 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.
- Denied
The Veteran's allergic rhinitis is rated as non-compensable prior to January 17, 2025, and as 10 percent disabling thereafter.
- Granted
The Board has restored the Veteran's original 60 percent rating for GERD with gastritis, finding that the reduction from January 2021 was improper due to lack of evidence showing improvement in her ability to function under ordinary conditions.
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