The Veteran's lumbar spine disability is denied as it is not related to her military service.,Her left upper extremity neurological disability, claimed as carpal tunnel syndrome and trigger thumb, is granted as the preponderance of evidence supports a relationship with her military service.,Her right upper extremity neurological disability, claimed as carpal tunnel syndrome, trigger thumb, and residuals of a ganglion cyst removal, is also granted for similar reasons.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's lumbar spine disability was not diagnosed until years after separation from service, and the VA examiner concluded that it is more likely than not related to her military service.,Her left upper extremity neurological disability (carpal tunnel syndrome) was first diagnosed decades after separation from service. The private nurse practitioner opined that it is likely due to repetitive motion in her job as a computer programmer, which she had for over 30 years, including outside of the military.,The right upper extremity neurological disability (trigger thumb and ganglion cyst removal) was also first diagnosed decades after separation from service. The VA examiner concluded that it is more likely than not related to her bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome surgeries.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbar spine disability, left upper extremity neurological disability (carpal tunnel syndrome and trigger thumb), right upper extremity neurological disability (carpal tunnel syndrome, trigger thumb, and residuals of a ganglion cyst removal)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 23, 2019
- Citation
- 19131618
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,092 · Granted: 42% (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 19131618.
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.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for a lumbar spine disability, left lower extremity radiculopathy, and right lower extremity radiculopathy as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected lumbar spine disability.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the claims for miscarriage, cervical spine disability, lumbar spine disability, and right elbow disability due to insufficient examination opinions and incomplete service history verification.
- Dismissed
The Board has dismissed the Veteran's claims for service connection for left knee disability, right knee disability, lumbar spine disability, and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) as these issues have been addressed in a separate docket.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus. Service connection is being remanded for the lumbar spine disability and right knee and calf disabilities.
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