The Board has denied service connection for residuals of a left hand fracture and remanded the issue of service connection for sleep apnea due to insufficient evidence.
The deciding factor: The VA medical opinions did not adequately address the lay statements regarding symptoms during service, leading to a need for further examination and opinion.
- Claimed conditions
- left hand fracture, bilateral degenerative arthritis of the hands
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 11, 2020
- Citation
- 20010876
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 20010876.
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 has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for left hand fracture, major depression with anxiety and sleep disturbances, and lung disability due to pre-decisional duty to assist errors. The Veteran will be given another opportunity to attend VA examinations, and additional efforts must be made to obtain her complete service separation examination report.
- Granted
The Veteran's bilateral degenerative arthritis of the hands is granted as service-connected, and an effective date of December 1, 2021 for special monthly compensation (SMC) based on aid and attendance is granted.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection are remanded due to the need for additional examinations.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for a thoracolumbar spine disability and left hand fracture due to the need for additional medical examination.
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