The Board has remanded two issues related to the Veteran's service-connected traumatic degenerative joint disease of his left ring and long fingers due to additional development needed, including obtaining relevant private treatment records and clarifying whether there is a separate left hand disability.
The deciding factor: The decision was remanded for further development as requested by the Board in January 2020, which included obtaining VA examination reports and identifying any outstanding private treatment records. The examiner's opinion was also needed to clarify the severity of the Veteran's disabilities and whether there is a separate left hand disability.
- Claimed conditions
- Traumatic degenerative joint disease of the left ring finger, status post amputation involving the distal phalanx, Traumatic degenerative joint disease of the left long finger, status post partial amputation
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 22, 2022
- Citation
- 22071110
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 22071110.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the matters for further development, including obtaining a medical opinion to assess any left hand disability that may be secondary to the Veteran's service-connected left long and ring finger disabilities.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling VA examinations to evaluate his left hand disabilities. The issues of entitlement to increased ratings for traumatic degenerative joint disease of the left ring finger and left long finger are also being addressed.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected coronary artery disease, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the severity of his condition.
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