The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient medical opinion regarding the nature and etiology of the Veteran's right thumb osteoarthritis, which may be in the form of post-traumatic arthritis.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner did not specifically address whether the Veteran’s right thumb osteoarthritis is in the form of post-traumatic arthritis.
- Claimed conditions
- right thumb osteoarthritis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 8, 2018
- Citation
- 18149186
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 18149186.
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.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for right and left thumb osteoarthritis, finding that the Veteran's current disabilities are related to his military service as a helicopter pilot.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the case for further development and readjudication of the veteran's claims.
- Partly granted
The appeal for service connection for left elbow degenerative joint disease was dismissed due to improper concurrent elections, while the claims for left thumb pain, right thumb osteoarthritis, and right elbow degenerative joint disease were remanded for further development.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for higher ratings on several musculoskeletal and neurological disabilities are remanded due to the need for new VA examinations.
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