The Board remands the claims for a new VA examination to assess the current severity of the Veteran's service-connected disabilities and to determine whether there is a nexus between his claimed conditions and his military service, including any toxic exposure during the Gulf War.
The deciding factor: Remand is necessary due to the need for updated medical examinations to evaluate the current severity of the Veteran's service-connected disabilities and to address potential connections to his military service, particularly in light of his participation in a Toxic Exposure Risk Activity (TERA) during the Gulf War.
- Claimed conditions
- Left wrist carpal tunnel syndrome, Right elbow cubital tunnel syndrome, Right wrist carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- Gulf War
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 29, 2025
- Citation
- 25005810
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,249 · Granted: 37% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 25005810.
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 Veteran's right wrist carpal tunnel syndrome and left wrist carpal tunnel syndrome are currently rated at 30 percent and 20 percent, respectively. The Board denied the claims for higher ratings as the evidence did not meet the criteria for a higher rating under DC 8515.,The Veteran's osteoarthritis of the right ankle and left ankle are both currently rated at 10 percent. The Board denied the claims for higher ratings as there is no evidence that meets the criteria for a higher rating under Diagnostic Codes 5003-5271.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea secondary to service-connected lumbar spine and bilateral knee disabilities. The claims of service connection for hypertension, fatigue, left wrist carpal tunnel syndrome, right wrist carpal tunnel syndrome, left upper extremity diabetic peripheral neuropathy, right upper extremity diabetic peripheral neuropathy, and a neck condition are remanded due to duty-to-assist errors.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a 20 percent disability rating for the back disability prior to April 13, 2017, and a 40 percent rating from August 2, 2019, to December 30, 2019, but denied higher ratings in other periods. The Board also remanded several service connection claims.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have resulted in the need for regular aid and attendance, granting special monthly compensation.
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