The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for his service-connected left wrist disability is remanded due to the need for a new VA examination to assess the current nature and severity of his condition, including any additional diagnoses or flare-ups.
The deciding factor: The Veteran reported worsening symptoms since filing his claim in 2012 and had more problems with his wrist since then. The last VA examination was conducted in March 2013, and the Veteran's symptoms may have worsened since then.
- Claimed conditions
- left wrist fracture
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 22, 2020
- Citation
- 20005363
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.
- Dismissed
The veteran withdrew the appeals for service connection for a left wrist fracture, left ankle injury, and right-hand little finger fracture.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for a higher disability rating for left wrist fracture and bilateral hearing loss, stating that the criteria for these ratings were not met.
- Partly granted
The Board denied increased ratings for pulmonary embolism with asthma and left wrist fracture but remanded the issue of a separate rating for numbness in the left wrist.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case for further development, including a medical opinion regarding the Veteran's history of wrist instability and subluxation. The matter will be referred to VA’s Director of Compensation Service for consideration of extraschedular ratings if it is determined that the Veteran's history of instability/subluxation are not contemplated within the rating criteria for evaluating muscle impairment.
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