Citation Nr: 19144665 Decision Date: 06/11/19 Archive Date: 06/10/19 DOCKET NO. 18-15 522 DATE: June 11, 2019 REMANDED Entitlement to service connection for chronic residuals of a left wrist/hand injury and status post tendon repair is remanded. REASONS FOR REMAND The Veteran had active duty service from September 1986 to October 1988. 1. Entitlement to service connection for chronic residuals of a left wrist/hand injury and status post tendon repair is remanded. The Veteran’s service treatment records indicate that in September 1988, the Veteran suffered a laceration to his left wrist/hand from a pneumatic sander. He was admitted to the hospital and underwent irrigation and debridement, repair of sensory pollicis brevis and abductor pollicis longus and transection and coverage of transected sensory branch of the radial nerve. A month later, on the date that he was discharged from service, it was noted that the Veteran had limited range of motion and some sensory defect, that he had received some occupational therapy, and that that he needed to be evaluated for further rehabilitative therapy. The Board cannot make a fully-informed decision because no VA examination has been conducted and no opinion has been rendered as to whether the Veteran has residual disability from the in-service left wrist/hand injury and subsequent surgery. In this case, the Veteran is an inmate at the correctional center in Eloy, Arizona. The Board notes that when an incarcerated veteran files a claim, as here, assistance developing his claim must be tailored to the unique and peculiar circumstances of his incarceration. In other words, special care must be taken in those cases where a veteran is unable, due to incarceration, to report to a VA examination. See Bolton v. Brown, 8 Vet. App. 185 (1995); Wood v. Derwinski, 1 Vet. App. 190 (1991). Moreover, the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims (Court) has indicated that VA’s duty to assist extends, if necessary, to having the incarcerated veteran either examined by a fee-basis physician or requiring a VA physician to examine him. Bolton, 8 Vet. App. at 191. Furthermore, where the Agency of Original Jurisdiction (AOJ) is unable to arrange an examination for an incarcerated veteran, it must memorialize its efforts to do so. Id. The matter is REMANDED for the following action: 1. Ask the Veteran to complete a VA Form 21-4142 for all physicians and/or medical facilities who have treated his left wrist/hand disability since his discharge from service to include any correctional facilities. Request all authorized medical records. 2. Schedule the Veteran for an examination by an appropriate clinician to address the nature and etiology of any current left wrist/hand disability. The examiner must identify all current chronic disabilities of the left wrist/hand and opine whether it is at least as likely as not related to an in-service injury, including left wrist/hand injury and subsequent surgery. If the Veteran remains incarcerated, the Agency of Original Jurisdiction (AOJ) should consult with prison officials to determine whether it is feasible for the appellant to attend a VA examination, have it conducted at the prison by VA, or have a medical professional at the correctional facility perform the examination. If the Veteran remains incarcerated, and the correctional facility is unwilling to let VA perform the examination and it is unwilling or unable to perform the examination, the AOJ should arrange for the Veteran’s claims file to be reviewed by an appropriate VA examiner to offer an etiological opinion. The AOJ must document all efforts to afford the Veteran a VA examination. James L. March Veterans Law Judge Board of Veterans’ Appeals ATTORNEY FOR THE BOARD P. Olson, Counsel The Board’s decision in this case is binding only with respect to the instant matter decided. This decision is not precedential, and does not establish VA policies or interpretations of general applicability. 38 C.F.R. § 20.1303.