Board decisionsVA Case Search

Board of Veterans' Appeals · Legacy series

Entitlement to service connection for hypothyroidism as secondary to service connected right hand hyperesthesia with loss of strength and chronic swelling and old healed fracture deformity right third digit is remanded.

January 30, 2026Citation Nr. 26001398Docket 18-36 849va.gov source

  • hypothyroidism, secondary to service connected right hand hyperesthesia with loss of strength and chronic swelling and old healed fracture deformity right third digitRemanded
  • respiratory disorder, secondary to service connected right hand hyperesthesia with loss of strength and chronic swelling and old healed fracture deformity right third digit, right shoulder sprain and/or right elbow sprainRemanded
  • cardiovascular disorder, secondary to service connected right hand hyperesthesia with loss of strength and chronic swelling and old healed fracture deformity right third digit, right shoulder sprain and/or right elbow sprainRemanded
DecisionAnalysis

Board reasoning

The Board found the medical opinions incomplete and needed remand for adequate etiologies. It noted that Stegall v. West, 11 Vet. App. 268 (1998) was cited to illustrate that an examination must address specific remand directives, and Barr v. Nicholson, 21 Vet. App. 303 (2007) supported that medical opinions must be adequate and supported by rationale. The Board recharacterized the issues per Clemons v. Shinseki to include respiratory and cardiovascular disorders and remanded for new opinions addressing whether medications (Gabapentin) and specific symptomatology contribute to hypothyroidism, and whether any of the claimed conditions are proximately due to or aggravated by the service-connected right hand disability or associated musculoskeletal conditions.

Issues

  • hypothyroidism, secondary to service connected right hand hyperesthesia with loss of strength and chronic swelling and old healed fracture deformity right third digitRemanded
  • respiratory disorder, secondary to service connected right hand hyperesthesia with loss of strength and chronic swelling and old healed fracture deformity right third digit, right shoulder sprain and/or right elbow sprainRemanded
  • cardiovascular disorder, secondary to service connected right hand hyperesthesia with loss of strength and chronic swelling and old healed fracture deformity right third digit, right shoulder sprain and/or right elbow sprainRemanded

Authorities

  • Stegall v. West, 11 Vet. App. 268cited for need for adequate medical opinions on remand
  • Barr v. Nicholson, 21 Vet. App. 303supported requirement for rationales in opinions
  • Clemons v. Shinseki, 23 Vet. App. 1permitted recharacterization of issues to include related conditions

Extracted with gpt-5-nano-2025-08-07. Citations are kept only when they appear in the decision text.