The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hand tendonitis due to insufficient rationale in the previous VA examination and opinion. The case will be returned for a new VA examination.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner failed to consider the Veteran’s lay statements regarding the onset and continuation of symptoms, which is required by law when evaluating service connection claims.
- Claimed conditions
- right hand tendonitis, left hand tendonitis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 10, 2019
- Citation
- 19102853
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed the appeals for service connection for various conditions, including bilateral hand and wrist tendonitis, burn scars on both upper and lower extremities, and a lumbar spine disorder, as there were no underlying initial claims that were appealable at the time of the Veteran's January 2022 VA Form 10182.
- Denied
The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for left hand tendonitis and obstructive sleep apnea, finding that there is no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals for increased evaluations and service connection have been dismissed due to the Veteran withdrawing his appeal of these issues. The Board has also remanded two issues: an evaluation in excess of 20 percent for degenerative arthritis of the spine, and service connection for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, effective from the date of the February 2025 rating decision.
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This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.