The Board finds that the Veteran's bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome and ulnar neuropathy are related to his military service, granting service connection for these conditions.
The deciding factor: The evidence shows a pre-service diagnosis of carpal tunnel syndrome and ulnar neuropathy, with no clear indication of aggravation during service. The symptoms worsened after the Veteran's deployment in Iraq, but the Board finds that any increase was due to natural progression rather than service aggravation.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome, ulnar neuropathy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 3, 2016
- Citation
- 1608680
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 1608680.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that additional development is needed for the claims on appeal, including obtaining any outstanding treatment records and scheduling VA examinations to assess the current severity of service-connected disabilities. The Veteran's representative also requested reevaluation of his service-connected disabilities.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection of bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome, finding that there was no evidence of an in-service injury or disease and that symptoms began many years after separation from service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided that the Veteran's claim for a higher rating for ulnar neuropathy of the right upper extremity should be remanded due to incomplete evidence.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome, bilateral feet conditions (to include bone spurs), and obstructive sleep apnea due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error.
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