Citation Nr: 18149723
Decision Date: 11/13/18	Archive Date: 11/13/18

DOCKET NO. 15-24 209
DATE:	November 13, 2018
REMANDED
The issue of entitlement to a rating in excess of 10 percent for right hand scars between thumb and second finger to dorsum of head, index and little fingers, with compensable limited motion index finger, gripping, and fine motor limitation, is remanded.
The issue of entitlement to a compensable rating for limitation of motion of right thumb is remanded.
The issue of entitlement to a compensable rating for limitation of motion of right ring finger is remanded.
The issue of entitlement to a compensable rating for limitation of motion of right little finger with degenerative joint disease (DJD) is remanded.
REASONS FOR REMAND
The Veteran served on active duty from August 1968 to January 1970.
This matter comes before the Board of Veterans’ Appeals (Board) on appeal of a September 2014 rating decision by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Regional Office (RO) in Muskogee, Oklahoma.  In July 2018, the Veteran withdrew a request to testify before a Board hearing.  38 C.F.R. § 20.704 (2018).
The most recent VA examination of the disabilities subject to this appeal was conducted over four years ago in August 2014.  See Green v. Derwinski, 1 Vet. App. 121 (1991).  The findings noted in the report of record are not sufficient to rate the disabilities on appeal.  See 38 C.F.R. §§ 4.40, 4.45, 4.59; DeLuca v. Brown, 8 Vet. App. 202 (1995); Correia v. McDonald, 28 Vet. App. 158 (2016); Sharp v. Shulkin, 29 Vet. App. 26 (2017).  As such, a new examination is warranted.  
The matters are REMANDED for the following action:
1. Obtain outstanding VA treatment records dated from May 2015.
2. Schedule a VA examination with an appropriate professional to determine the extent and severity of right index, ring, and little finger disabilities.  
(Continued on the next page)
 
The examiner should review the claims folder.  In a report detailing the nature and severity of the disorders, the examiner should comment on active and passive motion, the impact from weight-bearing and nonweight-bearing, the nature, size, and effect of scar tissue, the ways in which the disorders are affected by repetitive-use testing, and whether the Veteran has flare ups of his disorder and, if so, the nature of disability during flare ups.
 
CHRISTOPHER MCENTEE
Acting Veterans Law Judge
Board of Veterans’ Appeals
ATTORNEY FOR THE BOARD	Rachel E. Jensen, Associate Counsel