The Veteran's claim for a bilateral hand disability is denied as there is no current evidence of such a condition.,The Veteran's claim for a low back disability is denied due to lack of in-service injury or disease, and the absence of any chronic low back disability since service.,The Veteran's claim for chronic sinusitis is denied because there is no evidence of a chronic disorder during service or related to an in-service event.,The Veteran's claim for obstructive sleep apnea (claimed as PTSD) is remanded due to conflicting evidence regarding the onset and relationship to service.
The deciding factor: There is no current evidence of a bilateral hand disability, with the exception of already service-connected conditions. The preponderance of evidence does not support finding that any other condition began during or within one year after service.,The Veteran's low back disability claim lacks in-service injury or disease and there is no chronicity found since service. The August 1990 VA examination did not show arthritis, and the absence of subsequent findings suggests a natural aging process rather than military service.,There are no documented instances of sinusitis during service. While the Veteran reports symptoms post-service, there is no evidence linking these to his active duty service.,The Veteran's PTSD claim lacks in-service injury or disease. The primary source of psychological distress appears to be related to a 1990 Army decision regarding reenlistment eligibility.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hand disability, low back disability, chronic sinusitis, obstructive sleep apnea
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 8, 2019
- Citation
- 19152298
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,902 · Granted: 11% (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 19152298.
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.
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