The appeal for service connection of an acquired psychiatric disability is remanded. The appeals for rating in excess of 10 percent for a left finger deformity and a painful scar of the left fifth finger are also remanded.
The deciding factor: New evidence has been received to reopen the claim for service connection, but further review is needed to determine if it establishes a nexus between current psychiatric disability and service. The appeals for increased ratings require additional medical records from SSA.
- Claimed conditions
- Acquired psychiatric disability, Left finger deformity as a residual of a laceration, Painful scar of the left fifth finger
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 27, 2020
- Citation
- 20021925
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 20021925.
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's appeal regarding attorney fees for past-due benefits awarded in a June 2021 rating decision is dismissed as moot due to the waiver of rights by R.V.C.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's request to readjudicate the claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability with alcohol and drug abuse is granted. The Board has determined that new and relevant evidence sufficient to readjudicate the claim has been received, but further development is needed due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error regarding verification of reported deaths in service.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals for service connection for a low back condition and an acquired psychiatric disability are dismissed as procedural defects due to the overlapping nature of the appeals.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, finding that his claimed stressors did not meet the DSM-5 criteria for PTSD and concluding that there was no causal relationship between any current mental health condition and his military service.
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