The Veteran's claims are remanded for further development, including a new VA examination to assess the severity of his right hand disabilities and whether he has loss of use of his right hand. The issues of entitlement to increased ratings and SMC will be considered in light of any findings from this examination.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's claims are remanded due to the need for a new VA examination to assess current disability severity and determine if there is loss of use of the right hand.
- Claimed conditions
- right hand fifth metacarpal fracture, right hand fourth metacarpal strain
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 22, 2022
- Citation
- 22010052
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 22010052.
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The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for his right hand fifth metacarpal fracture was withdrawn. The Board granted service connection for lumbar spine arthritis, finding it related to injuries incurred during service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has found that additional evidence was added to the record after certification to the Board and remanded the claims for further development. The Veteran's appeal is now pending with the RO, which must consider all of the evidence of record in an appropriate supplemental statement of the case.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims of increased ratings for his left shoulder and right hand disabilities are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining updated VA treatment records and scheduling new examinations.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claim for an increased rating for residuals of a right hand fifth metacarpal fracture due to inadequate examination and failure to address specific questions set forth in the February 2018 remand order.
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