The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome, finding that there was no evidence of a disease or injury to the hands or wrists in service and that the current diagnosis is not related to service.,The Board also denied the Veteran's claim for an increased rating in excess of 40 percent for degenerative disc disease (DDD) of the lumbar spine. The Board found that there was no evidence of unfavorable ankylosis, which would warrant a higher rating.
The deciding factor: The preponderance of the evidence is against a nexus between the current bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome and service.,There is no unfavorable ankylosis of the thoracolumbar spine to support a higher rating under the General Rating Formula for Diseases and Injuries of the Spine.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome, degenerative disc disease (DDD) of the lumbar spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 40%
- Decision date
- October 22, 2019
- Citation
- 19180061
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,911 · Granted: 10% (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 19180061.
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that additional development is needed for the claims on appeal, including obtaining any outstanding treatment records and scheduling VA examinations to assess the current severity of service-connected disabilities. The Veteran's representative also requested reevaluation of his service-connected disabilities.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection of bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome, finding that there was no evidence of an in-service injury or disease and that symptoms began many years after separation from service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome, bilateral feet conditions (to include bone spurs), and obstructive sleep apnea due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome, finding that there is no credible evidence of a nexus between his current condition and his active duty service.
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