Citation Nr: 21068665 Decision Date: 11/12/21 Archive Date: 11/12/21 DOCKET NO. 17-47 501 DATE: November 12, 2021 REMANDED Entitlement to a compensable rating for right fifth finger mallet finger is remanded. REASONS FOR REMAND The appellant is a Veteran who served on active duty from December 1997 to November 2001. This matter is before the Board on appeal from a June 2017 Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) rating decision. In February 2021, a hearing was held before the undersigned; a transcript is in the record. At the hearing the Veteran was granted, a 60-day abeyance period for the submission of evidence. Entitlement to a compensable rating for right fifth finger mallet finger is remanded. At the March 2021 Board hearing, the Veteran testified that her right fifth finger is calcified and there is arthritis in the fourth and fifth fingers. She testified that she has no functionality because the tendons and ligaments are stretched out, which is causing "swan necking" in the fifth finger, and she has no ability to grip with her full hand strength. She testified that the finger sticks out and she jams it frequently doing simple tasks, which is very painful, and that it even hurts to lay her hand flat. She testified that the disability causes much pain, particularly with typing or using equipment at work. She testified that she occasionally wears a splint on the finger but because there is a bony protrusion in the joint, this only causes more discomfort; that to move the finger, such as to make a fist, she has to manually position the finger with her other hand; and that she has been advised to have surgery to shave down the extra calcified area of the finger and fuse the bones together to address the pain, which would create less functionality that what she has now. She testified that she is right-handed. The Veteran has not been afforded a VA examination to assess this disability in more than 4 years (since May 2017). Given the duration of the intervening period since she was last examined and the allegation of worsening, a contemporaneous examination to assess the disability is necessary. The matter is REMANDED for the following action: Arrange for an orthopedic examination of the Veteran to assess the severity of her right little finger disability. The examiner should review the Veteran's claims file and the schedular criteria for rating finger disabilities and should note the presence or absence of each symptom in the schedular criteria for compensable ratings, as well as any symptoms of equivalent nature and severity that are not listed in the criteria. The examiner should specifically ask the Veteran about pain due to the finger disability that limits function. The examiner should describe the impact the disability has on the Veteran's occupational and daily activity living functioning and include rationale with all opinions. GEORGE R. SENYK Veterans Law Judge Board of Veterans' Appeals Attorney for the Board D. Schechner, 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.