The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional examinations and opinions to determine the nature and etiology of his left elbow condition, cubital tunnel syndrome, shoulder condition, back condition, knee condition, acquired psychiatric disorder, eye condition, neuropathy of the hands, and neuropathy of the feet.,The Veteran's appeal is also remanded for an examination and opinion regarding his bilateral cubital tunnel syndrome (claimed as carpal tunnel syndrome).,The Veteran's appeal is also remanded for an examination and opinion regarding his shoulder condition.,The Veteran's appeal is also remanded to obtain a medical opinion regarding the nature and etiology of his back condition.,The Veteran's appeals are all remanded for additional examinations and opinions to determine the nature and etiology of his knee, eye, hand, and foot conditions.,The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder (cyclothymic disorder and PTSD) appeal is also remanded for an examination and opinion regarding its etiology.,The Veteran's appeals are all remanded for additional examinations and opinions to determine the nature and etiology of his eye condition.,The Veteran's appeals are all remanded for additional examinations and opinions to determine the nature and etiology of his hand and foot conditions.
The deciding factor: The current examination did not consider the Veteran's reported flare-ups, which is a critical factor in determining the severity of his left elbow condition.,The opinion regarding bilateral cubital tunnel syndrome was based on an incorrect premise that the Veteran does not have this condition. The examiner should provide a new opinion considering the Veteran's current diagnosis and any potential aggravation by service-connected conditions.,The opinion regarding the shoulder condition did not consider the Veteran's in-service lifting events or his history of motorcycle accidents, which may have contributed to his chronic shoulder pain.,The opinion regarding the back condition was based on an incomplete review of records. The examiner should provide a new opinion considering the Veteran's reports and any potential aggravation by service-connected conditions.,The opinions regarding the knee, eye, hand, and foot conditions were not provided or are insufficient to determine their etiology without additional examination and consideration of the Veteran's in-service events and current symptoms.,The acquired psychiatric disorder (cyclothymic disorder and PTSD) appeal is remanded for an opinion considering the Veteran's service-connected conditions and any potential aggravation by these conditions.,The opinions regarding the eye, hand, and foot conditions were not provided or are insufficient to determine their etiology without additional examination and consideration of the Veteran's in-service events and current symptoms.
- Claimed conditions
- olecranon bursitis status post old avulsion, left elbow, bilateral cubital tunnel syndrome (claimed as carpal tunnel syndrome), shoulder condition, back condition, knee condition, acquired psychiatric disorder (cyclothymic disorder and PTSD), eye condition, neuropathy of the hands, neuropathy of the feet
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 2, 2023
- Citation
- 23059205
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 23059205.
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 service connection for a back condition, including degenerative disc disease and scoliosis, due to lack of current disability evidence.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for service connection for sleep apnea has been dismissed due to the withdrawal of his request.,Service connection for a back condition is denied as there is no evidence that the condition began during service or is related to an in-service injury, event, or disease.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to predecisional duty-to-assist errors, including inadequate medical opinions and missed VA examinations. The Veteran's claim for service connection for a back condition is being returned to the RO for further action.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for a shoulder condition, bilateral knee condition, and right hip condition. The Veteran's claims were based on current diagnoses of these conditions but the evidence did not support an in-service injury or disease.,The Board also noted that there was no nexus between the current disabilities and service due to lack of in-service complaints or injuries.
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