The Board has decided to remand the claims for service connection due to a failure to provide a VA examination and notify the Veteran of missing records. The Veteran is seeking service connection for bilateral eye disability, left hand/wrist disability (including Dequervain's tenosynovitis), and right hand/wrist disability.
The deciding factor: The Board found that there was a duty to assist error due to incomplete STRs and failure to notify the Veteran of missing records. The VA RO did not request additional records or provide a list of alternative evidence.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Eye Disability, Left Hand or Wrist Disability (to include Dequervain's tenosynovitis), Right Hand or Wrist Disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 16, 2026
- Citation
- A26023443
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 A26023443.
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 Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability is rated as non-compensable.,His acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and unspecified depressive disorder with anxious distress, is rated at 50 percent.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to a need for a medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's bilateral eye disability is related to in-service toxic exposure risk activities other than herbicide exposure.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea and a bilateral eye disability, both of which are found to be proximately due to the Veteran's service-connected psychiatric disorder.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various disabilities and denied an initial rating in excess of 30 percent for PTSD with alcohol use disorder.
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