The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for neurological disorders of both upper extremities due to insufficient consideration of the Veteran's lay testimony and VA treatment records. The examiner is asked to provide an opinion on whether there is a 50% or greater probability that these conditions are related to service, including his reported symptoms during service.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the May 2020 VA examiner improperly relied solely on the absence of documented treatment in the Veteran's service records and did not consider his lay testimony regarding onset of symptoms during service.
- Claimed conditions
- neurological disorder of the right upper extremity, neurological disorder of the left upper extremity
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 18, 2021
- Citation
- 21008846
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 21008846.
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 has denied service connection for neurological disorders of the right upper, left lower, and right lower extremities as there is no evidence showing these conditions were incurred or aggravated by active service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that a VA examination and medical opinion for neurological disorders of the upper and lower extremities on a direct basis, to include consideration of the Veteran's presumed in-service exposure to environmental hazards during his period of service in the Persian Gulf War, should have been provided prior to the July 2019 VA rating decision on appeal.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus and for reopening his claims for service connection for neurological disorders of the left upper and lower extremities. The Board found that new and material evidence had not been received to reopen these claims.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for service connection for nerve damage, dermis, right side of face and a neurological disorder of the right upper extremity are remanded due to conflicting medical evidence regarding current diagnoses. A VA examination is needed to determine the etiology of any diagnosed conditions.
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