The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for a compensable rating for residuals of a fracture of the left fifth metacarpal, service connection for a left ankle disability, and service connection for a right foot disability due to additional development being needed.
The deciding factor: Additional medical comment is needed concerning the current severity of the Veteran’s left fifth metacarpal fracture, including in terms of whether the limitation of motion in his left little finger is causing additional limitation of motion in other fingers of this hand. Further development of these claims is needed for new VA examinations and opinions and to obtain relevant ongoing medical records from January 2015 to the present.
- Claimed conditions
- fracture of the left fifth metacarpal, left ankle disability, right foot disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 28, 2019
- Citation
- 19181591
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 service connection for multiple conditions, including bilateral hearing loss and various musculoskeletal issues, as well as an initial rating in excess of 0 percent for rhinitis. However, the Board granted a 70 percent rating for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for various disabilities to the AOJ for further development and consideration of evidence not previously considered.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for right ankle, left ankle, back disability, and other conditions as there is no evidence of a current disability related to the Veteran's military service.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for a right foot disability and left foot disability as the evidence did not support that the preexisting conditions worsened beyond their natural progression during active duty for training (ACDUTRA).
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