The Board remands the claims for increased ratings of right-hand disabilities and TDIU due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error.
The deciding factor: A pre-decisional duty to assist error requires remand to correct the issue before adjudicating the claims.
- Claimed conditions
- right hand long finger degenerative arthritis, right thumb degenerative arthritis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 30, 2024
- Citation
- A24070153
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.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, effective from the date of the February 2025 rating decision.
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