The Board has determined that additional examinations are needed to properly assess the Veteran's service-connected disabilities, specifically his back and carpal tunnel syndrome. The claims for increased ratings will be remanded.
The deciding factor: The examination reports do not comply with VA regulations regarding range of motion testing and functional loss due to flare-ups.
- Claimed conditions
- Multiple lower back strains with facet arthrosis, Lumbosacral strain with degenerative arthritis and intervertebral disc syndrome, Carpal tunnel syndrome, right hand, Carpal tunnel syndrome, left hand
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 18, 2019
- Citation
- 19130628
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 961 · Granted: 20% (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 19130628.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for carpal tunnel syndrome in both hands, finding no evidence that the conditions were incurred in or caused by service, including exposure to Agent Orange.
- Denied
The Board denied a compensable rating for carpal tunnel syndrome, right hand prior to September 23, 2017 due to insufficient evidence of mild incomplete paralysis.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew his appeals for service connection and a compensable rating, resulting in the dismissal of these claims.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have not rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation for any time period on appeal.
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