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 is being sent back for an addendum opinion regarding whether the Veteran's Dupuytren's contracture might be either the cause or aggravation of his carpal tunnel syndrome.
The deciding factor: The Board found that there was no evidence of Dupuytren's contracture in the medical record, but the parties agreed to remand for an addendum opinion considering the prior diagnoses and service connection status.
- 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
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,948 · Granted: 29% (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 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.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for Dupuytren's contracture and degenerative arthritis of the right hand, but remanded the issue of TDIU due to service-connected disabilities.
- Denied
The Veteran's limitation of index finger due to right hand Dupuytren's contracture has been rated at 10 percent since the beginning of the appeal period. The Board found that a higher rating is not warranted as the condition does not meet criteria for more severe stages or other diagnostic codes.
- Dismissed
The appeal for an earlier effective date and a rating in excess of 30 percent for service-connected anxiety disorder, depression, and chronic sleep impairment is dismissed as the Veteran withdrew her appeal during the Board hearing.
- 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.
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