The Board has remanded the claim for service connection of right-hand carpal tunnel syndrome due to a disagreement with the prior denial. The case will be reviewed by an addendum opinion from an appropriate clinician regarding whether the Veteran's carpal tunnel syndrome is at least as likely as not caused or aggravated by his service-connected Dupuytren's contracture.
The deciding factor: The Board found that there was no evidence of a current diagnosis of Dupuytren's contracture in the medical record, but acknowledged prior diagnoses and asked for an addendum opinion to consider these factors.
- Claimed conditions
- right-hand carpal tunnel syndrome, Dupuytren's contracture
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 19, 2019
- Citation
- 19186927
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for chronic fatigue syndrome, erectile dysfunction, pseudofolliculitis barbae, and right-hand and left-hand carpal tunnel syndrome. Service connection was denied for bilateral sensorineural hearing loss, and initial ratings were denied for migraines, right knee strain, and hypothyroidism.
- Partly granted
The veteran's claim for a higher rating for back disability was denied. Other issues related to service connection and total disability were remanded for further review.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board of Veterans' Appeals remands the claims for service connection for various conditions, including hypertension, a gastrointestinal disability, sleep apnea, a skin disability, Dupuytren's contracture, and Peyronie's disease, due to inadequate VA examinations.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 for additional disability resulting from an October 2010 right hand surgery, finding that VA did not act with fault and that any additional disability was reasonably foreseeable.
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