Wrist & hand decisions — 2005

The Board has granted the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his bilateral foot and wrist conditions, assigning a 20 percent rating each.

The Board has reopened the veteran's claim for service connection for residuals of bilateral arm and wrist fractures due to new evidence received since the November 1977 rating decision. The case is remanded for a comprehensive VA examination and opinion regarding the etiology of any current disorders related to service.

The veteran's right hand carpal tunnel syndrome was rated at 20 percent prior to January 22, 2003.,Since January 22, 2003, the veteran's right hand carpal tunnel syndrome has been rated at 20 percent.,The veteran's left hand carpal tunnel syndrome remains rated at 10 percent.

The Board has determined that the veteran's service-connected left wrist disability, a ganglion cyst, does not warrant an evaluation in excess of 10 percent.

The Board has determined that the veteran's left wrist disability does not warrant an evaluation in excess of 20 percent, as it does not meet the criteria for a higher rating based on functional impairment or other factors.

The veteran's claim for an initial compensable rating for a left wrist ganglion cyst was denied, as the medical evidence did not show any loss of range of motion. The claim for a 10 percent rating for multiple noncompensable service-connected disabilities under the provisions of 38 C.F.R. � 3.324 was also denied.

The Board has remanded the case to obtain additional medical evidence and for a VA examination to determine if the veteran's current left wrist disability is related to his service or right wrist condition.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including a new VA examination and consideration of staged ratings.

The veteran's claims for higher ratings for his service-connected left wrist and left humerus disabilities were denied as the evidence did not support a rating higher than the current assigned ratings.

The VA determined that the veteran does not have a current diagnosis of a chronic joint disorder or an undiagnosed chronic disability, and therefore denied his claim for service connection.

The Board has reopened the veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral forearm, wrist, and shoulder disabilities. However, further development is needed to determine whether his right elbow injury warrants service connection.

The veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection were denied. The left shoulder disability was rated at 20 percent, the left wrist disability at 10 percent, hearing loss and tinnitus were not found to be related to military service, and degenerative arthritis of the low back warranted a 10 percent rating.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have a current right wrist disorder or residuals of a low back injury, and therefore service connection cannot be granted for these conditions.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for higher initial ratings for bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome, finding no evidence of moderate impairment.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for lumbar spine, bilateral wrist, and bilateral knee disabilities, as well as depression and fatigue. The evidence does not support a finding of chronic disability resulting from an undiagnosed illness or direct service connection.

The Board denied service connection for hypertension and granted an increased rating for the right elbow. The veteran's ulnar neuropathy in his right hand was found to be related to his service-connected arthritis/bursitis/tendonitis of the right elbow.

The Board denied the appellant's application to reopen his claim for service connection for a left wrist or arm disability, finding that new and material evidence had not been submitted.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for an increased rating for his right wrist disability, finding that a 10 percent rating for limitation of motion and a 30 percent rating for median nerve entrapment were appropriate. The issue of entitlement to a clothing allowance was not addressed in this decision.

The Board has determined that the veteran's left and right hand disabilities, including myofascial pain syndrome with carpal tunnel syndrome, are related to her service-connected seizure disorder. The condition is granted as secondary to her service-connected disability.

The VA treatment did not result in a new disability, and any existing disability was not caused by the carelessness or negligence of the VA.