The Veteran's claims for service connection of right hand conditions, including osteoarthritis and as secondary to his service-connected disabilities, are remanded due to inadequate VA examinations.
The deciding factor: VA failed to provide adequate VA examinations and medical opinions regarding the Veteran's right ankle and right elbow conditions, which is a pre-decisional duty to assist error.
- Claimed conditions
- Right (dominant) fifth metacarpal fracture, Osteoarthritis of the right hand
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 12, 2024
- Citation
- A24045695
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 A24045695.
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.
- Granted
The Board granted a 10 percent disability rating for osteoarthritis of the right hand and service connection for a left shoulder disability.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the issue of service connection for a bilateral upper extremity disability, which includes right carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), osteoarthritis of the right hand, and right index trigger finger. The Veteran asserts that these disabilities are secondary to his now service-connected dizziness.
- Denied
The Board has determined that the Veteran's osteoarthritis of the bilateral hands did not have onset in service, was not related to his service-connected gout, and is not otherwise related to service. Therefore, the claim for service connection for osteoarthritis of the bilateral hands is denied.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's TDIU claim is being remanded as the Board cannot make a decision on an extraschedular basis without further review by the Director of Compensation Service.
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