The Board remands the claims for service connection for left and right wrist carpal tunnel syndrome and compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 for a heart disorder to correct pre-decisional duty to assist errors.
The deciding factor: Remand is required due to pre-decisional duty to assist errors, including the failure to obtain SSA records and information about VA examiner qualifications, as well as inadequate medical opinions regarding etiology.
- Claimed conditions
- heart disorder (specific type not specified), left and right wrist carpal tunnel syndrome
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 7, 2025
- Citation
- A25057985
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,036 · Granted: 27% (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 A25057985.
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 claims for service connection for tension headaches and left and right wrist carpal tunnel syndrome, finding that there was no evidence to support a causal relationship between these conditions and his military service.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including coronary artery disease, left shoulder arthritis, diabetes mellitus, and multiple musculoskeletal conditions, have rendered him unable to maintain substantially gainful employment since February 22, 2016. The Board finds that the combined effect of these disabilities has precluded his ability to work.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for additional development, including obtaining medical opinions regarding her hepatitis and liver disease, as well as her bilateral wrist, arm/elbow, and back disabilities. The TDIU claim is also being deferred until further adjudication of the other issues.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities combine for a 70 percent rating and render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation, thus meeting the criteria for TDIU from March 30, 2009.
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