Citation Nr: 21012327 Decision Date: 03/04/21 Archive Date: 03/04/21 DOCKET NO. 14-18 189 DATE: March 4, 2021 REMANDED Entitlement to service connection for a right-hand condition, to include as secondary to sleep apnea, is remanded. Entitlement to service connection for a left-hand condition, to include as secondary to sleep apnea, is remanded. REASONS FOR REMAND The Veteran served on active duty in the United States Navy from August 1984 to August 2004. The Veteran testified before the undersigned Veterans Law Judge at an August 2016 hearing before the Board of Veterans’ Appeals (Board). A transcript of the proceeding has been associated with the claims file. The Board denied the matters on appeal in January 2018. The Veteran appealed the decision to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims (Court). In a September 2018 Joint Motion for Remand (JMR), the Court vacated the January 2018 decision and remanded the current issues to the Board. The Board remanded the matter for further development in accordance with the JMR in December 2018 and July 2020. In December 2020, the agency or original jurisdiction (AOJ) granted entitlement to service connection for sleep apnea. The claim was granted in full, and therefore the appeal is no longer before the Board. The Veteran’s representative now contends the Veteran’s bilateral hand condition is secondary to the Veteran’s recently service-connected sleep apnea condition. See February 2020 Written Brief Presentation. To date, the Veteran has not been afforded a VA opinion as to the whether the Veteran’s bilateral hand condition was caused by or aggravated by the Veteran’s service-connected sleep apnea. An addendum opinion is therefore necessary prior to adjudication. The matters are REMANDED for the following action: Forward the Veteran’s claim file to a qualified medical professional in order to obtain an addendum opinion as to the nature and etiology of bilateral hand condition. The claims file, to include a copy of this Remand, must be made available to and be reviewed by the examiner. Specifically, the examiner must provide an opinion as to whether the previously diagnosed right and left hand conditions are at least as likely as not (a 50 percent or greater possibility) related to service, or caused or aggravated (increased in severity beyond the natural progress of the disorder) by service-connected sleep apnea. A complete rationale for all opinions expressed should be provided. The examiner must explain the relevance or significance, of any history, clinical findings, medical knowledge or literature, etc., relied upon in reaching his or her conclusions, by detailing how such medical knowledge applies to the Veteran specifically. The examiner should address the medical evidence provided by the Veteran’s representative in the February 2020 Written Brief Presentation. A. C. MACKENZIE Veterans Law Judge Board of Veterans’ Appeals Attorney for the Board B. N. Quarles, Associate Counsel The Board’s decision in this case is binding only with respect to the instant matter decided. This decision is not precedential and does not establish VA policies or interpretations of general applicability. 38 C.F.R. § 20.1303.