The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his bilateral carpal tunnel syndromes due to insufficient evidence of more severe impairment. The current ratings of 30 percent and 20 percent are deemed appropriate based on moderate incomplete paralysis.
The deciding factor: The medical evidence does not support a higher rating as the symptoms described by the Veteran align with the criteria for moderate incomplete paralysis, which corresponds to the current assigned ratings.
- Claimed conditions
- Right Hand Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, Left Hand Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 8, 2019
- Citation
- 19161737
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,886 · Granted: 24% (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 19161737.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD, GERD, shoulder, hand, and knee conditions, have rendered him unable to secure and maintain substantially gainful employment prior to September 26, 2025.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings and earlier effective dates have been dismissed due to his withdrawal of these claims. The Board has also remanded several issues for further development.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings for bilateral hearing loss and left hand carpal tunnel syndrome have been withdrawn.,The Veteran's appeal for an increased rating for GERD has been remanded due to lack of recent in-person examination documentation.,The Veteran's cervical spine disability, bilateral shoulder disability, and bilateral upper extremity radiculopathy claims are being remanded as the VA examinations were inadequate.,ED is secondary to service-connected conditions including medications taken for other disabilities.
- Denied
The Veteran's right hand and left hand carpal tunnel syndrome and cubital tunnel syndrome were rated at 20 percent from December 1, 2014 to January 17, 2022. The Board found that these conditions did not warrant a higher rating during this period.
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