The Veteran's claim for an initial compensable rating for left middle finger is remanded due to a duty to assist error. The Board requires the Veteran to be provided with a VA examination to assess the severity of his disability and whether pain might result in limited motion.
The deciding factor: There was a duty to assist error regarding the Veteran's claim, specifically related to the need for an examination to determine the extent of his left middle finger disability and whether pain results in limited motion.
- Claimed conditions
- left middle finger
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- October 30, 2020
- Citation
- A20016279
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,893 · Granted: 31% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation A20016279.
What this means for you
A remand sends an issue back for more development, often a new examination or missing records. It does not award the benefit or decide the final outcome. The original decision explains the additional work ordered.
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 case due to inadequate medical opinion and insufficient notice, and to obtain private treatment records for the Veteran's right knee and left hand surgeries.
- Granted
Service connection for the cause of death is granted. The Veteran's service-connected PTSD is considered to have caused or contributed to causing the motor vehicle accident which led to his death.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed the Veteran's appeal for an earlier effective date for his left middle finger disability as a freestanding claim, finding that it is not permissible under VA regulations.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete information regarding the Veteran's TDIU claim. The AOJ is instructed to request a completed VA Form 21-8940 from the Veteran and obtain his employment and education history.
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