The Veteran's current left arm/hand disability is being remanded for further evaluation due to concerns about the adequacy of his shoulder preparation for joint replacement surgery.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner found that it is less likely than not that the Veteran’s left radial nerve palsy resulted from carelessness, negligence, lack of skill or similar incidence of fault on the part of the attending VA personnel. However, the Board finds an opinion needed to address whether his shoulder was not properly prepared for joint replacement surgery.
- Claimed conditions
- left radial nerve palsy, left arm/hand disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 5, 2019
- Citation
- 19183857
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,569 · Granted: 26% (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 19183857.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claim for service connection for a left upper extremity neurological disability, to include left radial nerve palsy due to inadequate examination and missing diagnostic testing.
- Granted
The Veteran's post-operative left anterior cubital fossa scar is granted service connection. The claim for a left upper extremity neurological disability, including left radial nerve palsy, is remanded due to the need for further evaluation and treatment records.
- Denied
The Veteran's left radial nerve palsy is denied as it was not caused by VA care or treatment, and the Board finds no fault on the part of VA.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining Social Security Administration records and VA treatment records. The left arm/hand disability claim requires a neurological examination to determine if it is related to his service-connected left shoulder disability.
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