The Veteran's right hand sprain is currently rated at 10 percent. The Board has ordered a new VA examination to assess the severity of his condition, as the previous one was inadequate and did not account for flare-ups or repetitive use.
The deciding factor: The prior VA examination was insufficient due to its inability to determine functional loss during flare-ups or after repetitive use over time, which is required by law in such cases.
- Claimed conditions
- Right hand sprain
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 28, 2020
- Citation
- 20069799
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,456 · Granted: 23% (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 20069799.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for a bilateral hip disability, right hand sprain, back DJD, neck DJD, bilateral knee DJD, bilateral foot pain, DM II, and OSA as the evidence did not support a finding of a current disability or a nexus to service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal involves multiple issues related to his right hand injuries, including ratings for sprain and loss of motion in various fingers. The Board has determined that these claims require a remand due to the need to locate the examiner's curriculum vitae.
- Granted
The Veteran's right hand sprain and residuals of a right ring finger fracture are granted, but the compensable rating for the right ring finger fracture is denied. The TDIU claim is also denied.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that additional evaluations and development are needed for the Veteran's right hand sprain claim, including a VA examination to assess the current severity of his disability. The TDIU claim is also remanded due to the need for further development.
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