The Board has found that a remand is necessary to ensure the Veteran receives an adequate VA examination and opinion regarding his claimed right hand and left hand disabilities, as the current examination report is inadequate.
The deciding factor: The December 2019 VA examination was deemed inadequate due to its inconsistency with the Veteran's reports of in-service injuries and symptoms, and failure to consider the Veteran's medical history.
- Claimed conditions
- Right hand disability, Left hand disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 18, 2020
- Citation
- 20073975
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.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for diabetes mellitus, a bilateral foot disability (other than bilateral plantar fasciitis), to include gout, right hand and left hand disabilities, as well as a thyroid disorder, all secondary to the Veteran's service-connected obstructive sleep apnea. The Board also granted a TDIU from September 25, 2020.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various disabilities, including an acquired psychiatric disability, alcohol abuse, a liver disability, and hand and eye disabilities, as the evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were related to service or secondary to any service-connected condition.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew all pending appeals, including those for increased ratings and service connection.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for left and right hand disabilities due to a failure to appear for scheduled VA examinations.
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This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.