The Veteran's appeal is remanded for further development regarding his right knee meniscal tear with muscle atrophy.,For the left thumb, the Veteran seeks an increased rating. The current 10 percent rating already contemplates any functional impairment related to pain and weakness.,Service connection has been granted for epidermal inclusion cysts. These were initially diagnosed during service and have persisted since then.,The Veteran's claims for Achilles tendonitis of both ankles are denied as there is no evidence of current disability.
The deciding factor: Further development is needed to determine the extent of the right knee meniscal tear with muscle atrophy, including any potential aggravation by other service-connected conditions.,The Veteran's left thumb strain does not meet the criteria for a higher rating as there is no gap between the thumb pad and fingers or unfavorable ankylosis.,Service connection has been established based on continuity of symptomatology since service. The current evidence shows that the cysts were initially diagnosed during service and have persisted.,There is no current diagnosis of Achilles tendonitis for either ankle, as post-service records do not show any such condition.
- Claimed conditions
- Chronic strain of left thumb, Limitation of motion of left fourth finger, Epidermal inclusion cysts, Achilles tendonitis, left ankle and right ankle
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 9, 2019
- Citation
- 19126929
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,913 · Granted: 30% (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 19126929.
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.
- Denied
The VA has determined that the veteran's service-connected residuals of the removal of epidermal inclusion cysts and hemangioma do not meet the criteria for a compensable rating.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the veteran's acquired psychiatric disability, including PTSD, and epidermal inclusion cysts are related to service. The veteran was granted service connection for these conditions.
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