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
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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for left hand tremors, right hand tremors, and sinusitis, as well as a compensable disability rating for viral gastroenteritis. The claims for acid reflux (GERD) and tinea versicolor were remanded.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the case to obtain complete service treatment records, including Reserve STRs, as they may contain evidence pertinent to the Veteran's claims.
- Partly granted
The Board denied a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss and remanded the remaining claims for further development, including service connection evaluations.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed the Veteran's appeals for service connection for a right shoulder disability, left shoulder disability, eosinophilic esophagitis, right hand tremors, and left hand tremors due to an impermissible concurrent election.
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