The Board has remanded four issues related to the Veteran's hand and wrist conditions, as well as his left shoulder and elbow disabilities. The issues include service connection for de Quervain’s tenosynovitis and flexor carpi ulnari tendinopathy of both hands and wrists, and an initial rating for acromioclavicular arthritis and lateral epicondylitis of the left elbow. Additional evidence is needed to determine if these conditions are related to service.
The deciding factor: The Board found that additional VA examinations were necessary due to lack of recent medical records and because no VA examiner has provided an opinion on whether the Veteran's reported wrist and hand pain is related to service.
- Claimed conditions
- left de Quervain’s tenosynovitis, right de Quervain’s tenosynovitis, left wrist flexor carpi ulnari tendinopathy, right wrist flexor carpi ulnari tendinopathy, left shoulder acromioclavicular arthritis, left elbow lateral epicondylitis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 27, 2020
- Citation
- 20069557
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 the veteran's claims for earlier effective dates and higher ratings, finding no evidence of entitlement to such benefits prior to the specified dates.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for left elbow flexion and extension, finding that the evidence did not support a rating in excess of 10 percent for flexion or a compensable rating for extension.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's petitions to readjudicate claims for service connection for right knee degenerative arthritis, left knee degenerative arthritis, right elbow lateral epicondylitis, left elbow lateral epicondylitis, and plantar fasciitis as no new and relevant evidence was submitted since the April 2020 rating decision.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed the appeals for service connection for various conditions as the notice of disagreement was not filed within a year from the mailing of the rating decisions.
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