The Board has remanded the cases due to inadequate opinions regarding the etiology of the Veteran's left and right index finger injuries. The VA must obtain additional evidence and provide another opinion.
The deciding factor: The initial opinions were based solely on the lack of documentation in the Veteran’s case file without considering his statements about symptom continuity, which is a critical factor for determining service connection.
- Claimed conditions
- left index finger injury, right index finger injury
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 13, 2019
- Citation
- 19146165
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 Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection, as well as a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) and special monthly compensation (SMC), due to insufficient evidence of current disabilities related to service or functional impairment.
- Denied
The Board has denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for left shoulder, left forearm, left index finger, and cervical spine disabilities due to lack of evidence showing a direct relationship between these conditions and his military service.
- Denied
The claims for service connection of left index finger injury, bilateral ankle disorder, and right knee degenerative arthritis were denied as the new evidence did not relate to an unestablished fact necessary to substantiate the claim.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, effective from the date of the February 2025 rating decision.
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This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.