The Veteran's claim to reopen his right hand disability was denied as new and material evidence was not received.,His left arm disability, diagnosed as cubital tunnel syndrome and cervical radiculopathy, is also denied due to lack of in-service injury or disease.,Service connection for neck spasms (spasmodic torticollis) is denied because there is no medical nexus between the condition and service exposure to herbicide agents.,The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disability, diagnosed as bipolar disorder, is denied without a finding of a causal link to service.
The deciding factor: There was no evidence of an in-service injury or disease that could have caused the current right hand disability. The VA examiner found no nexus between the event in service and the Veteran’s current condition.,The Veteran's left arm disability is not related to his military service as there were no complaints, symptoms, or diagnoses during service. The VA examiner concluded that the current diagnosis of cubital tunnel syndrome does not have a link to service.,There was no evidence linking the Veteran's neck spasms to his military service and exposure to herbicide agents. The VA examiner found cervical dystonia is not associated with either.,The Veteran’s psychiatric disability, bipolar disorder, did not manifest during service or due to any in-service event, injury, or disease. There is also no evidence linking the condition to service.
- Claimed conditions
- right hand disability, left ulnar mononeuropathy (cubital tunnel syndrome), left C7-8 radiculopathy, spasmodic torticollis (neck muscle spasm/movement disorder), acquired psychiatric disability (bipolar disorder)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 8, 2019
- Citation
- 19110557
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,726 · Granted: 19% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 19110557.
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, lumbar spine disability, right hand disability, left hip disability, TBI, and left knee disability have all been denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a finding of service connection for any of these conditions.,Specifically, the VA examination in December 2019 determined that the Veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus were not related to his military service.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew her appeals for the service connection of multiple conditions, including low back disability, bilateral foot disability, cervical spine disability, migraines, right hand and shoulder disabilities, right wrist disability, asthma (claimed as Gulf War Syndrome), chronic fatigue syndrome, dysmenorrhea, irritable bowel syndrome, and sleep disability. As a result, these claims are dismissed.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hand disabilities due to inadequate examination and potential toxic exposure during service.
- Denied
The Board has denied service connection for various orthopedic disabilities, including wrist, hand, finger, knee, and lumbar spine conditions, based on a lack of evidence linking these conditions to the Veteran's military service.
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