The Veteran's claims for increased ratings on multiple disabilities are being remanded due to the need for additional VA and private treatment records.
The deciding factor: Additional medical evidence is needed to properly evaluate the severity of the Veteran's conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine, Degenerative disc and joint disease of the cervical spine, Status post acromioclavicular joint separation of the right shoulder, with acromioclavicular joint arthritis (right shoulder disability), Status post left wrist arthrotomy, scapholunate ligament reconstruction with blatt capsulodesis (left wrist disability), Sprained right thumb with metacarpophalangeal joint instability (right thumb disability), Radiculopathy (sciatic) of the right lower extremity, Right knee strain, Right ankle strain, Dislocation of the left fourth extensor tendon
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 24, 2019
- Citation
- 19105496
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 Veteran's service-connected disabilities rendered him unable to obtain and maintain substantially gainful employment, thus granting a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU).
- Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, while remanding claims for depression, anxiety, sleep disorder, right knee strain, left knee strain, and lumbar spine strain.
- Dismissed
The appeal was dismissed due to the Veteran's death while it was pending.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for plantar fasciitis on the right and left foot, left and right ankle strain, left and right knee osteoarthritis, and left and right hip strain, all secondary to service-connected back and bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy disabilities with weight gain/obesity as an intermediate step.
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