Wrist & hand decisions — 2001

The Board denied service connection for hypertension and residuals of a fracture to the right wrist, hand, and middle finger due to lack of new and material evidence for hypertension and absence of a current disability related to the fracture.

The Board has granted service connection for traumatic arthritis of the left knee and increased the disability evaluation for neurovascular disturbances of the feet with history of exposure to 10 percent. The veteran's hypertension is rated at 10 percent.

The veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome and bilateral hearing loss, as well as the propriety of the initial 10 percent evaluation assigned for arthritis of the right knee, were denied due to a lack of medical evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The veteran's claim for an increased evaluation for his right wrist disability is being remanded due to the need for additional medical records and a thorough examination.

The Board has determined that further development is needed before a decision can be made on the veteran's claim for service connection for a right wrist and thumb disability.

The veteran's initial claim for service connection and rating of his back injury was granted, but the RO later reduced the evaluation from 20% to 10%. The current appeal is about restoring the 20% rating. For the right wrist fracture, there are no compensable ratings assigned.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining medical records and conducting examinations to assess the veteran's disabilities.

The Board has determined that the appellant does not have current residuals of a right hip injury, right wrist disorder, or cervical spine disorder incurred in active military service.

The Board dismissed the appeal of the claim for entitlement to service connection for the residuals of a right wrist injury due to lack of timely filing of a substantive appeal. The left eye claim was not reopened as new and material evidence was not submitted.

The Board denied the motion to revise the decision on grounds of clear and unmistakable error (CUE) as there was no CUE in the September 1998 decision denying an earlier effective date for a 30% rating for service-connected right wrist disability.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased evaluation of his right hand disability and a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities. The right hand disability is rated at 10 percent, while the noncompensable wrist ganglion does not affect the overall rating.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for a vitreous floater of the right eye, refractive error, and a psychiatric disorder secondary to service-connected disabilities. The appeal was also denied for service connection for a dental condition.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for neuropathy, finding that there was no evidence of a link between his current conditions and his military service or exposure to Agent Orange.

The Board denied the appellant's claims for a compensable evaluation for residuals of a right wrist fracture and bilateral hearing loss disability, but granted service connection for residuals of a right shoulder injury.

The veteran's service-connected disabilities, including shell fragment wounds and PTSD, are rated at a combined 90 percent. The increased ratings for the forearm and wrist/hand conditions have been granted, leading to an overall rating of 90 percent.

The veteran's claims for increased evaluations for his hip and wrist disabilities are being remanded to the RO for additional examinations and development of records.

The veteran does not have residuals of a right wrist injury that were incurred in or aggravated during active service.

The Board finds that the veteran's postoperative Kienbock's disease, left wrist, more closely approximates moderate pronation with fixation of the hand than loss of supination and pronation of the forearm. Therefore, an evaluation in excess of 20 percent is denied.

The veteran's claim for a higher disability evaluation for degenerative joint disease of the cervical spine and a cervical disc disorder at C5-6 is granted. The issue of service connection for whiplash residuals, with numbness and pain in the elbows, forearms, and right hand (claimed as bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome) will be addressed in the Remand portion of this decision.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for carpal tunnel syndrome, breast lumps (fibrocystic breast syndrome), and sinusitis. The claim for an evaluation in excess of 20 percent for residuals of a fracture at T1 to T8 with fibromyalgia was also denied.