The Board has found that the Veteran's right and left hand disabilities are not service-connected. The case is being remanded to provide a more detailed examination of these conditions, including their onset during service and any functional impairments due to pain.
The deciding factor: The September 2018 VA examiner did not provide a diagnosis for the bilateral hand condition and based his opinion on the absence of in-service treatment records. The Board finds that clarification is needed regarding the specific hand conditions at issue and whether they are related to service, including any reported powder burn injury.
- Claimed conditions
- Left Hand Disability, Right Hand Disability
- How they argued it
- Aggravation of a pre-existing condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- March 29, 2019
- Citation
- 19123743
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,858 · Granted: 24% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed 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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 19123743.
What this means for you
A remand sends an issue back for more development, often a new examination or missing records. It does not award the benefit or decide the final outcome. The original decision explains the additional work ordered.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for a higher rating for PTSD and dismissed his appeals regarding increased ratings for tinnitus and a right hand disability due to lack of timely filing of Notice of Disagreement.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the current evidence is insufficient to establish service connection for the Veteran's claimed disabilities, and thus remands the claims for further development.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's claim of service connection for PTSD is granted, and he is awarded separate initial 10 percent ratings for left hand strain with painful index finger motion and long finger motion. The claims for other disabilities are remanded.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD has been denied due to the absence of a diagnosed condition.,Service connection is being remanded for bilateral foot, lumbar spine, knee, ankle, and elbow disabilities.
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