The Board has remanded the claim for service connection of a right hand disorder, attributing it to another service-connected disability. The RO failed to obtain an examination regarding this issue.
The deciding factor: The failure to provide an examination related to the Veteran's right hand disorder constitutes a pre-decisional duty to assist error.
- Claimed conditions
- Kienbock's disease
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 18, 2024
- Citation
- A24019648
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 A24019648.
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 service connection for a left wrist condition, finding that there was no evidence of chronic left wrist arthritis or Kienbock's disease in service or within the applicable presumptive period. The preponderance of the evidence did not establish a nexus between any left wrist condition and any incident of service.
- Denied
The Veteran's left wrist disability, diagnosed as Kienbock's disease, has not resulted in more than a compensable degree of limitation of motion. The current rating of 10% is the maximum allowed under VA regulations.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for a higher rating and TDIU was granted. The Veteran is now rated at 50% for her right wrist disability, effective August 7, 2013.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran seeks service connection for a left wrist disability, including Kienbock's disease. The case is remanded due to the need for additional development of medical records and an examination.
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