The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims of service connection for right hand disability and a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss due to inadequate opinions regarding direct service connection and aggravation, as well as invalid test results for his hearing loss.
The deciding factor: The opinions provided were insufficient to determine whether the Veteran's current conditions are related to his military service or aggravated by his service-connected disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- right-hand carpal tunnel syndrome, ulnar neuropathy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 8, 2020
- Citation
- 20001704
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a nerve disability affecting the left upper extremity to obtain an addendum opinion addressing its etiology.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remanded the claim for service connection of a right elbow disorder, including various conditions like cubital tunnel syndrome and bicep tendon tear. The Veteran's statements do not limit the scope of the claim.
- Denied
The Board found that the Veteran's current right elbow disability is not linked to a disease or injury incurred in service, specifically his 1979 injury during active duty for training. The claim was denied as there was no credible evidence of continuity of symptoms since the injury.
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