The Board has determined that additional development is needed to properly adjudicate the Veteran's claim for service connection for a left hand disability, as secondary to his service-connected residuals of left radial/ulna fracture. The case is being remanded for further examination and opinion.
The deciding factor: The examiner will be tasked with determining whether any diagnosed left hand disabilities are related to service or caused by the Veteran's service-connected condition.
- Claimed conditions
- left hand degenerative changes, left hand pain
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 8, 2019
- Citation
- 19117384
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,858 · Granted: 24% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 19117384.
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 claim for service connection for left hand pain is being remanded due to a duty-to-assist error. The Board will need to provide an adequate medical opinion regarding the relationship between the Veteran's claimed condition and his military service, including exposure to burn pits.
- Dismissed
The Board has dismissed the Veteran's appeals for service connection for bilateral plantar fasciitis, left ankle crepitus, left hand pain, right hand pain, and irritable colon syndrome (IBS).
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the claims of service connection for left hand pain and right hand pain due to a duty to assist error. The Veteran's VA treatment records show he has been treated for arthritis in both hands, which may be associated with his in-service use of weapons. However, a VA medical examination is needed to determine if there is a nexus between the current disability and service.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for bilateral hand arthritis, right and left hand pain, and lumbosacral strain as there was no evidence of current disability or in-service injury, disease, or event.
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