The Board has withdrawn the Veteran's appeals for service connection of various hand disabilities and neuropathy. The remaining claims are remanded due to a lack of complete service medical records and exposure information.
The deciding factor: The RO failed to obtain all relevant service treatment and personnel records, including those from periods of active duty, active duty for training, and inactive duty for training, which is necessary for proper adjudication of the claims.
- Claimed conditions
- left upper extremity neuropathy, right index finger disability, right ring finger disability, right long finger disability, right little finger disability, right thumb disability, right little toe disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- December 12, 2023
- Citation
- A23035477
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 A23035477.
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: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded several issues related to the Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including SMC based on loss of use of the bilateral upper and lower extremities, as well as rating increases for various neuropathies. The AOJ is instructed to obtain an adequate opinion regarding whether the Veteran's service-connected conditions have manifested with the loss of use of his hands, legs, and feet.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for SMC based on loss of use of the left upper extremity is remanded due to inadequate examination and opinion regarding her service-connected disabilities.
- Whole decision: Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for TDIU, left upper extremity neuropathy, and right shoulder rotator cuff strain has been dismissed.,The Veteran's appeals for a higher rating for left upper extremity neuropathy and right shoulder rotator cuff strain have been dismissed.,The Veteran's appeal for a higher rating for right shoulder rotator cuff strain has been dismissed.,A 20 percent rating is granted for right lower extremity radiculopathy.,A 20 percent rating is granted for left lower extremity radiculopathy.,The 40 percent rating for chronic lumbar strain with degenerative disc disease was reduced to 20 percent, and the reduction has been restored.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for chronic dry eye, chronic fatigue syndrome, constipation, IBS, left little finger disability, left index finger disability, left thumb disability, left ring finger disability, left long finger disability, right ring finger disability, right index finger disability, right long finger disability, and right thumb disability due to an error in the initial decision. The Veteran was not provided with notice of her right to a hearing on these issues.
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