The Board remands the claims for service connection for left thumb and index finger disabilities due to a lack of adequate medical examination.
The deciding factor: The May 2023 VA examination was deemed inadequate as it disregarded the Veteran's reports without explanation, relied on the absence of treatment records, and lacked sufficient rationale.
- Claimed conditions
- left thumb disability, left index finger disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 23, 2024
- Citation
- A24068429
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 for various disabilities, including a hernia and left ankle to correct pre-decisional duty to assist errors.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for higher ratings and TDIU due to incomplete VA examinations.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for rheumatoid arthritis, Sjogren's syndrome, and disabilities affecting each finger as the evidence did not support a finding that these conditions began during active service or are otherwise related to an in-service injury or disease, including exposure to toxic exposure risk activities (TERAs).
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the issues of entitlement to service connection for a left thumb disability, bilateral hearing loss disability, and lung cancer due to missing VA Medical Center records from Columbia, Missouri.
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