The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral osteoarthritis of the hands and bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome of the wrists due to a lack of medical opinion linking these conditions to his active duty service.
The deciding factor: The decision is based on the need for a VA examiner to provide an opinion regarding whether the Veteran’s conditions are related to his period of active duty service, including exposure to chemicals and injuries during service.
- Claimed conditions
- right hand osteoarthritis, left hand osteoarthritis, right wrist carpel tunnel syndrome, left wrist carpel tunnel syndrome
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 17, 2019
- Citation
- 19194664
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 19194664.
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 remands the case to adjudicate the Veteran's motion for clear and unmistakable error (CUE) in a 2009 rating decision, as well as service connection for right wrist carpel tunnel syndrome.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for multiple osteoarthritis conditions, headaches, an acquired psychiatric disorder, diabetes mellitus, sleep apnea, and gout based on the evidence showing a relationship to the Veteran's active duty service.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for sleep apnea, allergic rhinitis, bilateral foot tinea capitis, right shoulder degenerative arthritis, left shoulder degenerative arthritis, and left hand osteoarthritis. The claim for diabetes mellitus was remanded.
- Partly granted
The veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings were mixed. Some conditions, such as left ankle lateral collateral ligament sprain and left shoulder strain, were granted service connection. Others, like allergic rhinitis and sinusitis, were denied.
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