Wrist & hand decisions — 2001

The Board denied service connection for a cervical spine condition, bilateral flat feet, bilateral hand condition, and bilateral wrist condition as not well grounded. The veteran's cervical spine injury is believed to have occurred due to a fall caused by his service-connected scoliosis of the lumbar spine.

The Board has granted the veteran's claims for increased evaluations for tinnitus and right ear hearing loss, as well as service connection for nicotine dependence. The low back disorder and arthritis of the left wrist and knee are found to be related to service. However, no new or material evidence was presented to reopen the previously denied claims for these conditions.

The Board has granted service connection for a psychiatric disorder (anxiety or dysthymic disorder) secondary to the veteran's service-connected left varicocele and infertility, as well as service connection for right carpal tunnel syndrome and a skin disorder (actinic/seborrheic keratoses).

The Board has determined that the veteran's service-connected right wrist disability with tendonitis and hemorrhoids do not warrant increased ratings, as there is no evidence of ankylosis or other conditions that would support higher evaluations. The RO's initial grant of a 10% rating for each condition remains unchanged.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased disability evaluations for his incomplete left ulnar nerve paralysis and stress fracture of the right tibia, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the current symptomatology.

The veteran's disabilities, while present and rated at 40 percent combined, do not render him permanently and totally disabled for pension purposes due to his age, education, and occupational history.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claims for service connection are denied as there is insufficient evidence to support these claims.

The veteran's combined non-service-connected disability rating is 60%, which meets the criteria for a permanent and total disability rating for pension purposes, as she is unable to engage in substantially gainful employment due to her lupus-related conditions.

The veteran's claims for increased evaluations of his service-connected disabilities were denied. His bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus do not meet the criteria for a compensable evaluation, while other conditions are rated as noncompensably disabling.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for initial compensable ratings for her right knee and bilateral wrist disabilities, finding that there was no evidence of current disability. The veteran is also not entitled to a 10 percent rating based on multiple, noncompensable service-connected disabilities.

The Board has determined that the veteran is entitled to a TDIU effective date of June 16, 1993, based on evidence showing he was totally disabled by his service-connected disabilities more than a year prior to that claim.

The Board has determined that the veteran's preexisting right ear hearing loss was aggravated during service, warranting service connection.

The Board has determined that the veteran's service-connected residuals of a burn injury to the right hand do not warrant a compensable evaluation, as they do not meet the criteria for any specific rating under VA's Schedule for Rating Disabilities.

The Board has granted service connection for a disorder manifested by memory loss and sleep complaints, as well as for other conditions including lower back disorder, right wrist disorder, weak lungs, right eye disorder, hair loss, and fatigue. The remaining issues of service connection are addressed in the REMAND section.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection due to lack of a final decision.

The veteran's claims for increased evaluations were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not meet the criteria for an evaluation in excess of 30 percent for bilateral pes planus, 20 percent for post-operative residuals of a fracture of the left wrist, and 10 percent for post-operative residuals of a right medial meniscectomy.

The Board has granted a 40 percent evaluation for the veteran's right wrist and hand disorder, effective from March 5, 1996, excluding periods of temporary total ratings. The veteran also has service connection for migraine.

The Board found that the veteran's carpal tunnel syndrome and reflex sympathetic dystrophy of the right upper extremity were present prior to VA surgery in May and June 1974, and neither condition increased in severity as a result of the surgery. Therefore, compensation under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151 was denied.

The Board found that the January 1947 rating action denying service connection for a left wrist disability was not clearly and unmistakably erroneous, and upheld the grant of service connection with a 20% rating.

The veteran died of a ruptured abdominal aneurysm. The Board found that the cause of death was not service-connected and denied DIC benefits under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1318.