The Veteran's request for a rating in excess of 10 percent for her left index finger disability and left hip disability is being remanded due to the need for additional examination and opinion regarding the severity of these conditions.
The deciding factor: The VA examinations conducted were insufficient under recent Court decisions, particularly Correia v. McDonald (2016) and Sharp v. Shulkin (2017), which require joint testing for pain on both active and passive motion, in weight-bearing and nonweight-bearing, and range of motion measurements with the opposite undamaged joint.
- Claimed conditions
- Left proximal phalanx fracture/dislocation (left index finger disability), Left ischiopubic ramus fracture (left hip disability)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 10%
- Decision date
- April 30, 2020
- Citation
- 20030477
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 20030477.
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.
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The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected coronary artery disease, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the severity of his condition.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected musculoligamentous strain, right knee, is currently rated at 10 percent and the Board finds that a higher rating is not warranted.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD is granted as the evidence shows a current diagnosis of PTSD, an in-service stressor, and a medical link between the two.
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