The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral fifth finger conditions due to incomplete information in previous examinations and the need for updated VA treatment records.
The deciding factor: The decision is based on the need for an addendum opinion regarding whether the Veteran's condition clearly and unmistakably was a congenital defect, and if so, whether it was aggravated during service or related to active duty service.
- Claimed conditions
- left fifth finger condition, right fifth finger condition
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 31, 2020
- Citation
- 20051037
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 20051037.
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 Board has dismissed the appeals due to the appellant's death, as appellants' claims do not survive their deaths.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for left and right fifth finger conditions, as well as blood clots. The Veteran's claim for these conditions is being reviewed due to new evidence received since the previous denial.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient evidence and need for further examination. The effective dates for hearing loss and tinnitus have been denied.
- Denied
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.
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