The Veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 40 percent for his lumbar disability is denied. The Veteran's claim for service connection for left hand tremors is remanded due to the need for an addendum opinion.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner did not address multiple left hand injuries and a possible neuro-muscular disorder occurring during service, which may have contributed to the Veteran’s diagnosed tremors.
- Claimed conditions
- intervertebral disc syndrome with degenerative joint disease and degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine, left hand tremors
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 26, 2020
- Citation
- A20016038
Veterans Law Judge
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 A20016038.
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 has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for service connection due to incomplete findings and failure to properly address the onset, cause, and nature of his conditions. The VA will need to schedule examinations to determine if his rhinitis and bilateral hand disabilities are related to service.
- Denied
The Veteran's appeal for special monthly compensation and service connection was denied due to a late filing of the Board Appeal request.
- Dismissed
The Board has dismissed all appeals related to the appellant's claims for service connection due to his withdrawal of the appeal.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for bilateral hand tremors due to conflicting opinions and insufficient evidence regarding whether the tremors are caused by or aggravated by the Veteran's service-connected psychiatric conditions.
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