Wrist & hand decisions — 2000

The Board finds that the appellant's bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome was not incurred in or aggravated during service and is not presumed to have been incurred by service. The claim for service connection is denied.

The Board denied increased ratings for the veteran's service-connected left wrist and pelvic fracture residuals, finding no compensable residuals.

The Board denied service connection for left knee and right wrist disabilities in August 1997, finding no evidence linking symptoms to service. The appellant's new evidence is not considered material.

The veteran's death was not caused by his service-connected disabilities. The veteran did not meet the criteria for DIC benefits under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1318, and there is no entitlement to dependents' education benefits.

The Board has granted an increased rating for the veteran's right wrist condition, but denied a higher rating for his radial nerve impairment and scars. The veteran is currently rated at 10 percent for limitation of motion of the right wrist.

The Board denied extensions of temporary total evaluations for the veteran's left wrist condition beyond July 1, 1994 and April 1, 1996. The issue regarding a temporary total evaluation beyond June 1, 1997 was remanded.

The Board has denied the veteran's appeals for increased ratings of his chronic lumbar strain and degenerative disc disease of the cervical spine, but granted a compensable rating for postoperative residuals of a ganglion cyst in the right wrist.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for bilateral plantar warts and compensable rating for hemorrhoids, as well as his service connection claims for nerve damage to the hands and wrists (claimed as carpal tunnel syndrome), dizziness (claimed as vertigo and a black-out seizure disorder), and headaches. The clothing allowance claim was denied.

The Board has determined that the veteran's service-connected right wrist carpal tunnel syndrome with reflex sympathetic dystrophy does not warrant a higher rating, and thus denied her claim for an increased rating.

The Board found that the veteran's left wrist disability, which is currently rated at 20 percent under the rating code for ankylosis of the wrist, does not warrant a higher evaluation as his wrist remains fused in a favorable position and he has no more than moderate incomplete paralysis of the carpal tunnel syndrome.

The Board has granted the veteran's claims for increased ratings of 10 percent each for residuals of a right elbow dislocation and a right wrist strain, effective from January 1, 1997.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for an increased rating for his service-connected residuals of navicular bone fracture, left wrist with degenerative joint disease, finding that the evidence did not warrant a higher evaluation.

The Board of Veterans' Appeals (Board) has denied the veteran's claim for service connection for carpal tunnel syndrome, finding that there is no competent medical evidence linking the condition to his period of active service.

The Board has determined that the claims for service connection for tinnitus and bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome are not well grounded, and thus denied.

The veteran's claim for special monthly pension based on the need for regular aid and attendance or being housebound is denied as she does not meet the criteria for either condition.

The Board determined that the preponderance of the evidence did not support an increase in the original evaluations assigned for the veteran's service-connected disabilities, including hypothyroidism, low back, migraine headache, right knee, left knee, left shoulder, and left wrist disabilities. The RO had initially assigned zero percent (noncompensable) evaluations, which were later changed to 10 percent.

The veteran's service-connected hemorrhoids and left wrist sprain have been granted compensable evaluations. Service connection for neck strain has also been established, but the other issues remain unresolved.

The veteran's claims for arthritis of multiple joints, bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome, and a sebaceous cyst on the left scrotum were denied as not well-grounded.,There is no medical evidence linking any current diagnoses to service.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claim for service connection for a right wrist scar is well grounded. The VA duty to assist the veteran includes obtaining all relevant records, including reports of his recent treatment at the VA medical facility in Albany, New York.

The veteran's carpal tunnel syndrome of the right upper extremity is currently rated at 40 percent, and his claim for an increased rating has been denied as it does not meet the criteria for a higher rating.