The Board remands the case for further development, including obtaining a retrospective medical opinion regarding whether the evidence has demonstrated the functional equivalent of ankylosis at any point during the period on appeal.
The deciding factor: The VA opinion was found to be inadequate as it did not provide a clear explanation for why the Veteran does not have the functional equivalent of ankylosis, or the functional equivalent of either favorable or unfavorable ankylosis of the wrist.
- Claimed conditions
- traumatic arthritis, right wrist, status post navicular fracture
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 21, 2025
- Citation
- 25006919
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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for multiple conditions, including bilateral hearing loss, chronic kidney disease, cell bladder carcinoma, hypertension, and various musculoskeletal issues, as the evidence did not support a finding that any of these conditions were incurred or aggravated during active duty for training.
- Dismissed
The appeal has been withdrawn by the Veteran and is dismissed.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed the appeal for service connection for right wrist, hypertension, and prostate cancer due to an improper concurrent election of review options under the Appeals Modernization Act.
- Partly granted
The veteran's claim for a higher rating for back disability was denied. Other issues related to service connection and total disability were remanded for further review.
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