The Board has determined that the VA examination is inadequate and remands the case for a new examination to determine the nature and etiology of any current hand disability, not already service connected.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner relied on an error of fact in his opinion regarding direct service connection for the Veteran's bilateral hand osteoarthritis and did not consider the impact of altered mobility due to service-connected disabilities on the Veteran’s hands.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hand osteoarthritis, bilateral hand cheiroarthropathy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 16, 2019
- Citation
- 19103951
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for steatohepatitis and gastrointestinal impairment, to include chronic diarrhea and GERD. The claims for a chronic cough, right upper extremity neuropathy, left upper extremity neuropathy, facial scar, back disability, left hip disability, bilateral hand osteoarthritis, hemorrhoids, erectile dysfunction, and hypertension were denied.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for bilateral hand osteoarthritis and remanded the claim for a lung condition (lung spot) for further development.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for multiple musculoskeletal disabilities, including cervical spine degenerative disc disease and bilateral joint osteoarthritis, based on in-service exposure to PCBs.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for further development and to obtain additional evidence, including a complete service treatment record from the appellant's Reserve period.
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