The Board has found that the Veteran's sleep apnea and bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome had their onset during service. Service connection is granted for these conditions. However, due to a duty-to-assist error in the prior decision, the claims of entitlement to service connection for left and right extremity carpal tunnel are remanded.
The deciding factor: The medical evidence does not support a finding that the Veteran's current bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome is related to her military service or toxic exposure events. The Board finds this error in the prior decision and thus remands the claims of entitlement to service connection for left and right extremity carpal tunnel.
- Claimed conditions
- sleep apnea, left extremity carpal tunnel, right extremity carpal tunnel
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 22, 2026
- Citation
- A26005939
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 A26005939.
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 sleep apnea, finding that there was no evidence of a chronic disease manifesting within one year after service and concluding that the current disability is not related to his in-service deviated septum.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case for additional development regarding the Veteran's claim of service connection for sleep apnea. The Veteran will be provided with a VA examination to determine if his current sleep disorder is related to his military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the issue of service connection for sleep apnea due to insufficient medical opinions and need for further development.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew his appeal regarding the claims for sleep apnea and an increased disability rating for diabetes mellitus, type II.
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