The Board has remanded the case due to a failure to obtain all relevant medical records from RTC Great Lakes Recruit Training Command, specifically those related to a left index finger injury and infection during service.
The deciding factor: The VA failed to comply with the duty to assist by not obtaining all requested treatment records, particularly those pertaining to a specific injury.
- Claimed conditions
- left index finger scar
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 7, 2020
- Citation
- 20065087
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,726 · Granted: 19% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted 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. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 20065087.
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The Veteran has withdrawn his appeals regarding the right thigh scar, left temporal region laceration scar, and left index finger scar claims.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for a higher initial rating of 10 percent for his left index finger scar is granted. The appeal to grant service connection for hepatic steatosis is dismissed as the Veteran did not file a written statement of disagreement within the required timeframe.
- Dismissed
The Veteran has withdrawn all issues on appeal, including those regarding restoration of a 30 percent rating for left ear surgical scar residuals and service connection for IBS and gastritis.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation since June 3, 2019.,TDIU is granted from June 3, 2019. The appeal for TDIU from October 9, 2018 to June 3, 2019 is remanded.
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