The Board has remanded the case due to a duty-to-assist error and needs additional medical opinions regarding the nature and etiology of any right-hand condition.
The deciding factor: The VA medical opinions did not consider the Veteran's lay statements regarding chronic right-hand pain since active-duty service, which is a pre-decisional duty-to-assist error.
- Claimed conditions
- right-hand condition, right hand degenerative arthritis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 21, 2026
- Citation
- A26005338
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 A26005338.
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 left hand degenerative arthritis and right hand degenerative arthritis, finding no evidence of a nexus between the current disabilities and active duty service.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for right hand degenerative arthritis and dismissed the claim of service connection for right hip injury.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection of left-hand and right-hand conditions due to incomplete service treatment records. The Veteran's active service is alleged to have caused his current hand conditions, which he contends are not supported by documented medical history.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's bilateral foot, hand, and hip conditions are remanded due to a duty to assist error. The AOJ is instructed to obtain new medical opinions regarding whether these conditions are aggravated by the Veteran's inability to take NSAIDs due to his service-connected kidney removal.
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