The Board granted service connection for several conditions, including bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome, cervical myelopathy with right upper extremity weakness, chronic kidney disease stage III, gout of the right foot, hip joint replacements, and umbilical hernia. The claims for left rotator cuff tear, sleep apnea, and tinnitus were remanded.
The deciding factor: The positive nexus opinions from VA examiners supported the service connection claims based on in-service events or exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome, cervical myelopathy with right upper extremity weakness, degenerative disc disease, spinal stenosis, and spinal fusion, chronic kidney disease stage III, gout of the right foot, hip joint replacement, residual left hip pain status post left total hip arthroplasty, hip joint replacement, residual right hip pain status post right total hip arthroplasty, umbilical hernia
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- Camp Lejeune water
- Rating assigned
- 100%
- Decision date
- October 3, 2025
- Citation
- A25085509
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,886 · Granted: 24% (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 A25085509.
What this means for you
A partial grant means some issues were granted while others were denied or remanded — common in multi-issue claims. Look at which issues went which way, and how each was argued.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that additional development is needed for the claims on appeal, including obtaining any outstanding treatment records and scheduling VA examinations to assess the current severity of service-connected disabilities. The Veteran's representative also requested reevaluation of his service-connected disabilities.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection of bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome, finding that there was no evidence of an in-service injury or disease and that symptoms began many years after separation from service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome, bilateral feet conditions (to include bone spurs), and obstructive sleep apnea due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error.
- Denied
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and initial disability ratings were denied. The Veteran was granted a rating of 40 percent, but no higher, for diabetic peripheral neuropathy affecting the right lower extremity and left lower extremity, and a rating of 20 percent, but no higher, for diabetic peripheral neuropathy affecting the left upper extremity (minor).
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