The Board remands the claims for service connection for right and left thumb degenerative arthritis to obtain an adequate medical opinion that specifically addresses all of the Veteran's relevant contentions.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner did not fully comply with the Board's prior remand instructions, particularly in addressing the Veteran's lay statements about in-service football injuries leading to his current bilateral thumb degenerative arthritis.
- Claimed conditions
- right thumb degenerative arthritis, left thumb degenerative arthritis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 12, 2024
- Citation
- 24032863
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 claims for service connection of left elbow, right elbow, and right thumb degenerative arthritis to obtain an addendum VA medical opinion addressing direct causation and aggravation by service-connected disabilities.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the veteran's claims for service connection for various degenerative arthritic conditions of multiple joints and the lower back, as additional evidence is needed.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for right and left thumb degenerative arthritis, finding an approximate balance of positive and negative evidence regarding in-service incurrence and a causal relationship to current disabilities.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for higher ratings for various hand conditions due to lack of required symptoms.
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