The Board remands the Veteran's claims for higher ratings for left and right wrist sprain to correct pre-decisional duty-to-assist errors, specifically to obtain medical opinions on whether ankylosis or functional equivalent of ankylosis is present, and to address potential separate ratings for peripheral nerve impairment.
The deciding factor: The Board finds that remand is necessary to correct pre-decisional duty-to-assist (DTA) errors by obtaining additional medical opinions regarding the severity of the Veteran's wrist disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- left wrist sprain, right wrist sprain
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 10, 2025
- Citation
- A25033183
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 left and right wrist sprain due to a pre-decision duty-to-assist error, specifically the absence of a medical opinion.
- Granted
The Board granted an earlier effective date of May 2, 2018, for service connection for various disabilities.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for various service-connected conditions, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating under applicable criteria.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for GERD, left wrist sprain, right knee strain, and degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine. The claim for an increased rating for generalized anxiety disorder with depressive disorder was denied.
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