The Board denied service connection for left carpal tunnel syndrome and otitis media as there is no evidence of the conditions in service or within a year of discharge, and no credible evidence linking them to service.
The deciding factor: There was no evidence of carpal tunnel syndrome or otitis media during service, and no competent medical evidence linking either condition to service. The veteran's statements were found to be lacking in credibility due to the absence of relevant complaints until many years after discharge.
- Claimed conditions
- left carpal tunnel syndrome, otitis media
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 20, 2008
- Citation
- 0816528
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Dismissed
The appeal for service connection for migraine headaches, right carpal tunnel syndrome, and left carpal tunnel syndrome was dismissed due to the Veteran's death during the pendency of the appeal.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for a back disability, otitis media, and a skin disability as there was no evidence to support that these conditions were related to his military service.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for sleep apnea, left shoulder bicipital tendon tear, hypogonadism, erectile dysfunction, and left carpal tunnel syndrome. The claims for increased ratings for lumbar spondylosis with facet arthropathy and lumbosacral strain, right hip strain with osteoarthritis, other specified trauma and stressor related disorder, left and right ankle lateral collateral ligament sprain, right shoulder rotator cuff tear, left knee patellofemoral pain syndrome, right knee patellofemoral pain syndrome (to include iliotibial band syndrome), and chronic right wrist sprain were denied. The Board also granted an effective date of July 7, 2023 for the award of increased ratings.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection and increased ratings due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error.
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