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 evidence of unfavorable ankylosis of the spine that would warrant a higher rating for DDD of the lumbar 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
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error, as it is unclear whether the Veteran's claimed conditions are due to any incident of his period of active service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome, left and right upper extremity cervical radiculopathy, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and generalized anxiety disorder to correct pre-decisional duty to assist errors.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for initial ratings higher than the assigned percentages for service-connected conditions, including migraine headaches, bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome, lumbosacral strain, and bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome as it was not shown to be related to the Veteran's active service, including any toxic exposure risk activity.
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