The Board remands the claims for service connection for left hand pain and left shoulder pain to provide the Veteran another opportunity to attend his VA examinations.
The deciding factor: Remand is required due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error in failing to contact the Veteran to reschedule his examinations prior to denying his claims, as well as missing records regarding specific dates of service.
- Claimed conditions
- left hand pain (index or long finger), left hand pain (ring or little finger), left hand pain (thumb), left shoulder pain
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 12, 2025
- Citation
- A25022641
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a 50 percent rating for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and denied increased ratings for right shoulder impingement syndrome, hearing loss, painful scar, patellofemoral pain syndromes of the knees, and other conditions.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for a rating in excess of 10 percent for painful right gluteal cleft scar, a compensable rating for allergic rhinitis, and service connection for left shoulder pain and an acquired psychiatric disorder.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for exostosis right foot and bilateral plantar fasciitis, but denied service connection for hysterectomy, left shoulder pain, right shoulder pain, dysmenorrhea, chronic obstructive lung disease, female sexual arousal disorder, and a foot callus.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for PTSD and an initial 20 percent rating for dry eye syndrome with pinguecula, while denying service connection for other psychiatric disorders, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and multiple musculoskeletal conditions. Some claims were remanded for further development.
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