The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a right shoulder strain with carpal tunnel syndrome and cubital tunnel syndrome, finding that there is no evidence of such conditions being related to his active service or his service-connected lumbar strain. The case was also remanded for further development regarding an increased disability evaluation for his lumbar strain.
The deciding factor: The VA examinations did not find a causal relationship between the Veteran's current right shoulder strain with carpal tunnel syndrome and cubital tunnel syndrome and either his active service or his service-connected lumbar strain with degenerative joint disease and degenerative disc disease.
- Claimed conditions
- Right Shoulder Strain, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, Cubital Tunnel Syndrome
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 18, 2018
- Citation
- 18143232
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 18143232.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran is granted a total disability rating based upon individual unemployability (TDIU) exclusively due to service-connected posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and special monthly compensation (SMC) based on housebound status from August 31, 2023.
- Granted
The Board granted an effective date of December 1, 1984 for the awards of service connection for IBS, bilateral shoulder strain, bilateral elbow tendinopathy, limitation of bilateral forearm supination, and bilateral knee patellofemoral pain syndrome.
- Denied
The Board denied initial disability ratings for various conditions, including GERD, shoulder strain, elbow strains, lumbosacral strain, and knee conditions. A separate rating was granted for right lower extremity radiculopathy due to the service-connected lumbosacral spine disability.
- Denied
The Board denied increased ratings for PTSD, non-allergic rhinitis, and right shoulder strain, as the evidence did not support a higher level of impairment than currently rated.
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