The Veteran's median neuropathy of the left upper extremity is granted as service-connected.,The Veteran's coronary artery disease is denied as not incurred or aggravated during a period of active service or ACDUTRA, and it was not caused by or aggravated by an injury incurred during a period of INACDUTRA.,The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder is remanded for further development to determine if it is related to his service-connected left hand disability and/or tinnitus.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner concluded that the Veteran's median neuropathy was at least as likely as not caused by a documented left hand pain and weakness during service.,There is no evidence showing that the Veteran's coronary artery disease was incurred or aggravated in line of duty during ACDUTRA or INACDUTRA. The private doctor opinion did not consider the VA treatment records from March 2021, which document a diagnosis of depression.,The addendum opinion should address whether any psychiatric disorder is directly related to service and if it was caused by or aggravated by the Veteran's service-connected left hand disability and/or tinnitus.
- Claimed conditions
- median neuropathy of the left upper extremity, coronary artery disease, an acquired psychiatric disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 14, 2023
- Citation
- 23015197
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 23015197.
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 claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected coronary artery disease, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the severity of his condition.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for coronary artery disease is being remanded due to the inadequacy of a previous VA examination.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for coronary artery disease, hypertension, and stroke as there was no evidence of herbicide agent exposure during service and the medical opinions were against a nexus to service.
- Granted
The Veteran's service connection claim for coronary artery disease with myocardial infarction is granted on a presumptive basis due to exposure to herbicide agents during his active duty in Korea.
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