The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for various upper extremity and cervical spine disabilities due to a lack of an examination addressing whether these conditions are related to his service-connected right thumb disability or if they are aggravated by it. The Veteran also needs a new VA examination to assess the current severity of his service-connected right thumb disability.
The deciding factor: The claims were remanded because there is insufficient evidence regarding the relationship between the Veteran's service-connected right thumb disability and his claimed upper extremity disabilities, as well as whether these conditions are aggravated by it. Additionally, a new VA examination was ordered to assess the current severity of the Veteran's service-connected right thumb disability.
- Claimed conditions
- Right Wrist, Right Forearm, Right Elbow, Right Humerus, Right Shoulder, Cervical Spine
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 2, 2019
- Citation
- 19160161
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 19160161.
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 Board remands the Veteran's claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) to correct a pre-decisional duty to assist error, specifically to obtain the Veteran's Social Security Administration (SSA) employment and earnings history from 2020 forward.
- Partly granted
The Board denied a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss and remanded the claim for service connection for cervical spine.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the claims of service connection for cervical spine, bilateral shoulders, bilateral knees, and bilateral hips due to inadequate VA examinations. The Veteran's attorney raised secondary service-connection issues.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the cases for additional examinations and evaluations due to worsening symptoms of the Veteran's disabilities. The Veteran is asked to provide evidence that her right upper extremity disability is distinct from her already service-connected right shoulder disability, and whether it is related to her active duty service or her service-connected right shoulder disability.
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