Citation Nr: 22017987 Decision Date: 03/27/22 Archive Date: 03/27/22 DOCKET NO. 19-03 684 DATE: March 27, 2022 ORDER Entitlement to service connection for bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome is granted. FINDING OF FACT The Veteran's bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome is related to service. CONCLUSION OF LAW The criteria for service connection for bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome are met. 38 U.S.C. §§ 1110, 5107; 38 C.F.R. §§ 3.102, 3.303. REASONS AND BASES FOR FINDING AND CONCLUSION The Veteran served on active duty from January 2007 to October 2007, which includes service in the Southwest Asia theater of operations. He had additional service with the Navy Reserve. This matter comes before the Board of Veterans' Appeals (Board) from a July 2016 rating decision. The Veteran testified before the undersigned Veterans Law Judge (VLJ) at a December 2021 hearing. Unfortunately, the Board is unable to produce a written transcript of the hearing. However, in light of the fact that the Board is awarding service connection for bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome (thus reflecting a full grant of the benefit sought on appeal), a new hearing is not necessary. Entitlement to service connection for bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome Service connection will be granted if the evidence demonstrates that current disability resulted from an injury suffered or disease contracted in active military, naval, air, or space service. 38 U.S.C. § 1110; 38 C.F.R. § 3.303(a). Establishing service connection generally requires competent evidence of three things: (1) current disability; (2) in-service injury or disease; and (3) a relationship between the two. Saunders v. Wilkie, 886 F.3d 1356, 1361 (Fed. Cir. 2018). Consistent with this framework, service connection is warranted for a disease first diagnosed after service when all the evidence, including that pertinent to service, establishes that the disease was incurred in service. 38 C.F.R. § 3.303(d). The Veteran contends that he has current bilateral neurological disability of the upper extremities which is related to his physical duties in service. The Board finds, for the following reasons, that the Veteran has a current diagnosis of bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome, and that this disability is related to his active service. Medical records, including a letter from a VA physician (C.B.) received in January 2022, show that the Veteran has been diagnosed as having bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome. Therefore, current bilateral neurological disability of the upper extremities has been demonstrated. The Veteran contends that his carpal tunnel syndrome is related to his physical duties as a crane operator and construction mechanic in service. Specifically, he has reported that he spent his days turning wrenches while working on vehicles, and that at the end of the day his hands would lock up and he experienced numbness, tingling, and pain. He did not seek treatment for these symptoms in service. The Veteran is competent to report his physical duties and hand symptoms in service. See Jandreau v. Nicholson, 492 F.3d 1372, 1377 (Fed. Cir. 2007); see also Buchanan v. Nicholson, 451 F.3d 1331, 1337 (Fed. Cir. 2006). In a December 2021 statement, a fellow servicemember (A.B.) reported that he served with the Veteran in Iraq and that the Veteran reported problems with carpal tunnel syndrome at that time. The Veteran's service treatment records confirm that he served as a mechanic in Iraq (see e.g., a September 2007 post-deployment health assessment). Also, there is no evidence to explicitly contradict the Veteran's reports and they are generally consistent with the evidence of record. Thus, the Board finds that the Veteran's reports of his physical duties and hand symptoms in service are credible. As for whether the Veteran's current bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome is related to service, the VA physician explained in her January 2022 statement that the Veteran suffered from carpal tunnel syndrome and that this disability was likely ("as likely as not") related to his military occupational specialty during active service. Specifically, he was a heavy construction mechanic and this involved mounting and dismounting large truck tires. This repetitive motion most likely contributed to his carpal tunnel syndrome. The January 2022 opinion is based upon treatment of the Veteran and consideration of his reported history, and it is accompanied by a specific rationale that is consistent with the evidence of record. Therefore, the January 2022 opinion is adequate and entitled to substantial probative weight. See Nieves-Rodriguez v. Peake, 22 Vet. App. 295, 304 (2008) (most of the probative value of a medical opinion comes from its reasoning; threshold considerations are whether the person opining is suitably qualified and sufficiently informed). (CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE) In light of the January 2022 opinion, the Board finds that the Veteran's bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome is related to service. Therefore, entitlement to service connection for bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome is warranted. 38 U.S.C. § 5107 (b); 38 C.F.R. § 3.102. Jonathan Hager Veterans Law Judge Board of Veterans' Appeals Attorney for the Board B. Elwood, 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.