The Board remands the case for further development to ensure compliance with VA's duty to assist, specifically regarding the failure to obtain outstanding private treatment records.
The deciding factor: The Joint Motion found that there was no indication in the record that VA communicated the result of its attempts to obtain relevant records from Seaside Hospital to the Veteran or made further attempts to obtain the records. Therefore, a remand is necessary to ensure compliance with the duty to assist.
- Claimed conditions
- left hand disorder, left arm disorder (secondary to left hand disorder), left shoulder disorder (secondary to left hand disorder)
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 11, 2025
- Citation
- 25004943
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,612 · Granted: 16% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 25004943.
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.
- Dismissed
The Board has dismissed the Veteran's appeals regarding his claims for an increased disability evaluation for a right index finger scar and service connection for a left hand disorder due to withdrawal of these appeals by the Veteran.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to a failure to notify the Veteran of his right to a pre-decisional hearing. The AOJ is instructed to provide the Veteran with notice concerning his right to a hearing and then re-adjudicate the claims.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that additional development is necessary to correct pre-decisional duty to assist errors and remand the case for further action.
- Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's petition to readjudicate his previously denied claim for service connection for a left hand disorder, and remanded the matter for further development.
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