Wrist & hand decisions — 2005

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for degenerative arthritis of the left knee and an increased rating for residuals of left wrist fracture, but granted a compensable disability rating for bilateral hearing loss.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection due to lack of new and material evidence, as well as failure to establish a nexus between current hip and knee disabilities and his military service.

The veteran's right ear hearing loss is granted, and the RO must readjudicate all other claims. Additional development may be needed for some of these claims.

The Board has granted service connection for a heart disorder and denied benefits pursuant to the provisions of 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151 for additional disability involving a left wrist fracture, claimed as aggravated by July-August 1991 VA treatment/omission of treatment.

The veteran's appeal has been withdrawn by her representative before the Board could make a decision.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for left shoulder pain, left wrist pain, right wrist pain, and muscle spasms throughout his body as manifestations of an undiagnosed illness resulting from service in the Persian Gulf War due to a lack of objective indications of disability.

The veteran's carpal tunnel syndrome of the right upper extremity is rated at 50% since September 1, 2004. His gunshot wound of the right elbow was rated at 30% on and after September 1, 2004.

The veteran's claims for service connection were denied. The VA found no evidence of chronic residuals from a ganglion cyst on the left wrist, crush injury to the right middle finger, or skin disorder in service. Hypertension was not shown to have been present in service and is not presumed by law. Bilateral defective hearing was also not shown to be related to service.

The veteran's service-connected disabilities, including severe headaches and arthritis, do not render him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment.

The veteran's osteochondroma of the right humerus is currently manifested by subjective complaints and objective evidence indicating damage to the radial nerve, significant loss of coordination and fine motor skill, slight range of motion loss in the fingers, decreased grip, and decreased pinprick sensation. The wart on his right fifth finger is nonpainful but limited in range of motion. Both conditions are rated at 20 percent.

The appellant's service connection claims for chronic fatigue and multiple joint pain due to an undiagnosed illness are granted. Service connection is also established for degenerative disc disease of the lumbosacral spine, with a rating of 60 percent.

The veteran's PTSD is currently rated at 70 percent since August 1, 2002.,PTSD was previously rated as 30 percent prior to February 25, 2000 and as 50 percent between February 25, 2000 and August 1, 2002. The current rating of 70 percent is effective since August 1, 2002.,The veteran's left wrist disability was rated at 10 percent prior to January 22, 2001 and at 20 percent since that date.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for a right hand/wrist condition, headaches, and discogenic disc disease with mild lumbar spondylosis. The evidence did not support a finding of in-service injury or chronic disability.

The veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings were denied. The noncompensable rating for the left wrist condition was granted, effective July 7, 2004.

The Board denied service connection for the veteran's back disability, left wrist disability, and asthma. The decision is final as these claims were previously denied in January 1996.

The veteran's PTSD is rated at 100 percent, and his left wrist shell fragment wound residuals are rated at 70 percent. The RO has been instructed to readjudicate the case using both old and new criteria for rating skin disorders.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to missing service medical records and the need for further examination. The veteran's claim will be reconsidered after these steps are completed.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for hearing loss and an increased rating for his left wrist fracture with ulnar styloid excision, finding no new and material evidence to reopen the hearing loss claim and denying both issues.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome associated with her active duty service and therefore denied her claim for service connection.

The veteran's service-connected disabilities do not preclude him from obtaining or maintaining any form of substantially gainful employment consistent with his education and occupational background.