The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for additional disability resulting from right hand surgeries and mixed anxiety and depressive disorder with opioid use disorder (claimed as drug dependency, mental abuse, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder) due to incomplete records and need for further medical opinions.
The deciding factor: Incomplete records and need for further medical opinions prevent a determination on the merits of the Veteran's claims.
- Claimed conditions
- right hand pain, limited range of motion in right hand, mixed anxiety and depressive disorder with opioid use disorder (claimed as drug dependency, mental abuse, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 13, 2023
- Citation
- 23038900
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 23038900.
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.
- Dismissed
The Board has dismissed the Veteran's appeals for service connection for bilateral plantar fasciitis, left ankle crepitus, left hand pain, right hand pain, and irritable colon syndrome (IBS).
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the claims of service connection for left hand pain and right hand pain due to a duty to assist error. The Veteran's VA treatment records show he has been treated for arthritis in both hands, which may be associated with his in-service use of weapons. However, a VA medical examination is needed to determine if there is a nexus between the current disability and service.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for bilateral hand arthritis, right and left hand pain, and lumbosacral strain as there was no evidence of current disability or in-service injury, disease, or event.
- Dismissed
The Board denied the veteran's appeals for service connection due to untimely filings.
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