The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for a bilateral hand disability and right hand pain at digits due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology. The claims will be returned for further development.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner’s opinion was inadequate as it did not consider prior diagnoses of bilateral hand strain in the Veteran's medical record.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hand strain, right hand pain at digits
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- April 27, 2021
- Citation
- 21025226
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 21025226.
What this means for you
A remand sends an issue back for more development, often a new examination or missing records. It does not award the benefit or decide the final outcome. The original decision explains the additional work ordered.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for right and left wrist carpal tunnel syndrome, lumbosacral strain, cervical strain, bilateral knee strain and left knee osteoarthritis, bilateral hip trochanteric pain syndrome, bilateral elbow strain, bilateral foot degenerative arthritis, bilateral shoulder strain, and bilateral hand strain. OSA was denied.
- Whole decision: Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal request was denied as it was not timely filed within one year of the rating decision.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) as secondary to his service-connected disabilities is granted. The Board found that the Veteran's obesity acted as an intermediate step between his service-connected disabilities and his OSA.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hand strain and a bilateral elbow disability, finding that the Veteran's symptoms began during active service and have persisted since.
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