The Board has found insufficient evidence to adjudicate the claim of service connection for carpal tunnel syndrome, left hand and has ordered a VA examination to determine if there is any relationship between the Veteran's current symptoms and his military service.
The deciding factor: There is no clear indication that the Veteran's current carpal tunnel syndrome is related to his active duty service.
- Claimed conditions
- carpal tunnel syndrome, left hand
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 21, 2020
- Citation
- A20015851
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,316 · Granted: 43% (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 A20015851.
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.
- Dismissed
The appellant withdrew his appeals for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea and bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome, so the cases are dismissed.
- Granted
The Board granted a rating of 20 percent for carpal tunnel syndrome, left hand, effective February 17, 2024.
- Partly granted
The Board dismissed claims for diverticulitis, hiatal hernia, right ankle disability, and left finger scar. Claims for left ankle disability and acquired psychiatric disorder were denied. Other conditions were remanded.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for neck, back, hernia, and carpal tunnel syndrome (left and right hands) due to incomplete records and lack of contemporaneous medical evidence. The AOJ is directed to obtain all relevant records, including service personnel records, and schedule a VA examination to determine if these conditions are related to the Veteran's military service.
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