The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral upper extremity disorders due to conflicting medical opinions and incomplete records. The Veteran is presumed to have incurred these conditions in service, but further examination and evidence are needed to determine their etiology.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner’s opinion was based on an inaccurate factual premise and did not consider all theories of entitlement raised by the record, including the cumulative impact of repetitive use motion while serving as a heavy equipment mechanic on active duty and the Veteran's in-service exposure to solvents and chemicals used to clean heavy machinery.
- Claimed conditions
- left upper extremity disorder, right upper extremity disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 14, 2020
- Citation
- 20078748
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 20078748.
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 remanded the Veteran's appeal due to delays in adjudication and requests for additional evidence. The issues of service connection for left shoulder disorder, right upper extremity disorder, right hand disorder, and bilateral knee disorders are being remanded for further development.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including right ear hearing loss, migraine headaches, left ear hearing loss, and other disorders, as well as denied an increased rating for posttraumatic stress disorder with traumatic brain injury.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the service connection claims for residuals from a facial injury, lumbar spine disorder, left upper extremity disorder, right upper extremity disorder, left knee disorder, and right knee disorder due to insufficient evidence.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that there has not been substantial compliance with its May 2024 remand, and therefore, the case is being returned to the AOJ for further action.
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