The Board has remanded the case due to a duty to assist error and needs to provide an addendum medical opinion regarding the nature and etiology of any current left upper extremity disability.
The deciding factor: The examiner must determine whether there is clear and unmistakable evidence that the Veteran's left upper extremity disability pre-existed his active-duty service, and whether it was not aggravated during his service.
- Claimed conditions
- left elbow ulnar nerve subluxation, left cubital tunnel syndrome
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 3, 2026
- Citation
- A26019153
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 A26019153.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected hypertension is found to be the cause of her left cubital tunnel syndrome and bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome. Her unspecified depressive disorder is rated at 50%.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral arm disabilities is remanded due to incomplete STRs from his Reserve service. The AOJ must attempt to obtain these records and consider the evidence of record in its decision.
- Granted
The Board has granted a compensable disability rating of 10 percent for left cubital tunnel syndrome, but denied any higher rating. The condition is currently rated as mild incomplete paralysis of the ulnar nerve.
- Denied
The Board denied an earlier effective date for service connection for left carpal tunnel syndrome and left cubital tunnel syndrome, as the evidence did not support an effective date before October 26, 2019.
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