Wrist & hand decisions — 2006

The Board has determined that the veteran's right knee disability was aggravated by service, while his left knee and right wrist disabilities are not related to service.

The veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions were denied. The Board found no evidence of current disabilities related to the claimed conditions, except for tinnitus which was established as being related to service.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for an earlier effective date of March 21, 2001 for his nonservice-connected pension benefits due to a lack of evidence showing he was incapacitated within one year prior to filing the claim.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his right ankle sprain, service connection for a right wrist condition, neck condition, asthma, and bilateral hearing loss.

The Board has denied an increased evaluation for the service-connected postoperative residuals of a fracture of the left wrist, finding that the disability is currently evaluated at 20 percent and does not warrant a higher rating.

The Board found no evidence of chronic residuals for the claimed conditions and denied service connection.

The Board has determined that the veteran's right wrist disorder and skin disorder are not related to his military service, and therefore denied these claims.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including a VA examination and issuance of a statement of the case on his temporary total disability rating claim.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have any current conditions related to his active duty service, and therefore, he is not entitled to service connection for a right thumb condition, a right wrist condition, residuals of a right hand fracture, or residuals of a left foot fracture.

The veteran's claim for a left wrist fracture is denied.,The effective date of the grant of service connection for right knee osteoarthrosis is denied as prior to June 7, 1994.,The initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for left knee gonoarthrosis is denied.,The termination of benefits and denial of apportionment due to status as a fugitive felon are granted.

The Board has determined that there is no competent evidence of current disabilities for the claimed bilateral shoulder, wrist, knee, and ankle conditions. Therefore, service connection cannot be granted.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claims of service connection for neck disorder, left wrist disorder, and right shoulder disorder are denied due to a lack of competent medical evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Board denied service connection for chronic right and left wrist disorders, but granted an initial compensable evaluation (10%) for the veteran's cervical muscle strain.

The VA denied the veteran's claim for a compensable disability rating for his service-connected ganglion cyst of the left wrist, finding that it did not meet the criteria for such a rating based on current evidence.

The veteran's appeal for increased rating and service connection issues have been remanded due to the need for additional development, including a change in representative.

The veteran's service connection for residuals of a right wrist strain is granted. The RO has assigned a 30 percent disability evaluation for his degenerative disc disease/degenerative arthritis of the cervical spine, which was previously rated at 20 percent. His status post malunion of fractured mandible; bilateral comminuted open fractures of the mandible left body and right angle remains noncompensable as there is no evidence of a compensable disability. The veteran's nerve paresthesia of the left side of the face has also been rated at 0 percent.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including PTSD, bilateral wrist and hip disabilities, hearing loss, tinnitus, vertigo with dizziness and nausea, and severe headaches. The evidence does not support a current diagnosis or finding of these conditions.

The Board denied the claims for service connection for throat cancer, DIC under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1318, and accrued benefits due to lack of evidence linking the veteran's death to his military service or any service-connected disability.

The Board denied service connection for a bilateral wrist disorder and an upper back disorder, finding no evidence of such conditions in service or within one year post-service. The veteran's current diagnoses are not related to his military service.