The Board has found that new examinations are needed for the Veteran's right thumb disability, left leg lymphedema, and bilateral knee arthritis due to incomplete information in previous VA examinations. The TDIU claim is also remanded as it could significantly impact these issues.
The deciding factor: Incomplete information in previous VA examinations regarding the severity of the Veteran's right thumb disability, left leg lymphedema, and bilateral knee arthritis necessitates new evaluations.
- Claimed conditions
- Right Thumb, Left Leg Lymphedema, Bilateral Knee Arthritis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 17, 2022
- Citation
- 22058057
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 22058057.
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 the Veteran's claim for an effective date before May 15, 2015, for service connection of Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) due to insufficient evidence linking OSA to his bilateral knee condition.
- Granted
The Board has granted earlier effective dates of January 21, 2015 for the Veteran's claims related to his right thumb, left thumb, right index finger, left index finger, right long finger, and left long finger. The Board also granted a rating of 20 percent for the Veteran's service-connected right ankle disability.
- Denied
The Veteran's right thumb disability is currently rated at 10 percent and the claim for an increased rating has been denied.,The Veteran's right index finger disability is currently rated at 10 percent and the claim for an increased rating has been denied.,The Veteran's right long finger disability is currently rated at 10 percent and the claim for an increased rating has been denied.,The Veteran's right ring finger disability is currently rated at 0 percent (noncompensable) and the claim for an increased rating has been denied.,The Veteran's right little finger disability is currently rated at 0 percent (noncompensable) and the claim for an increased rating has been denied.
- Denied
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings of his right thumb and elbow disabilities have been denied. The right thumb disability is currently rated at 10% since September 22, 2015. The right elbow disability was initially rated at 10%, then changed to 30% effective September 25, 2019, and subsequently back down to 10% thereafter.
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