The Board remands all service connection claims for further development and to correct a pre-decisional duty to assist error.
The deciding factor: The examiner's opinion on the Veteran's carpal tunnel syndrome was found inadequate, and additional examinations are required to address the etiology of the claimed conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral hearing loss, Carpal tunnel syndrome (right upper extremity), Carpal tunnel syndrome (left upper extremity), Left wrist arthritis, Left foot pes planus, Left index finger arthritis, Left little finger arthritis, Left long finger arthritis, Left ring finger arthritis, Left thumb arthritis, Right wrist arthritis, Right index finger arthritis, Right little finger arthritis, Right long finger arthritis, Right ring finger arthritis, Right thumb arthritis, Left toe joint pain, Neck condition, Sleep apnea, Sleep disturbance, Acne, Back injury, Headaches, Left hip condition, Right knee condition, Left knee condition, Right elbow condition (nerve damage), Left elbow condition (nerve damage), Penile condition, Left shoulder condition, Right shoulder condition, Tinnitus
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 8, 2025
- Citation
- A25032228
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for chronic headaches, CFS, dermatosis, bilateral RLS, a lumbar spine disability, and sleep apnea but denied a compensable evaluation for allergic rhinitis.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, as there was no evidence of a current disability in the right ear and insufficient evidence to establish a nexus between the left ear hearing loss and service.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's conditions are related to in-service noise exposure.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the matter for a medical clarification regarding whether the Veteran's service-connected epilepsy has aggravated his bilateral hearing loss.
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