Wrist & hand decisions — 2008

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining new and material evidence to reopen claims for service connection for left knee disability, left wrist disability, and cervical spine disability. The VA will also obtain a medical examination of the veteran's neck.

The Board finds that service connection for the cause of the veteran's death is warranted due to exposure to hepatitis C during his military service.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome, chronic urinary tract infections, and diabetes mellitus, type II. The veteran's claims were not supported by current medical evidence of these conditions.

The veteran's numbness of the lower extremities is granted service connection as due to an undiagnosed illness. Service connection for numbness of the arms and carpal tunnel syndrome, including as due to an undiagnosed illness, is denied.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection and initial ratings for various disabilities, including low back, right elbow, left elbow, right knee, left knee, gastrointestinal disorder, and skin disorder.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have a current diagnosis of a neck condition or bilateral wrist condition, and therefore service connection for these conditions is denied.

The veteran has withdrawn all of her claims, including those for service connection for various disorders. The appeal is dismissed.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete records and further development is required.

The Board has granted service connection for residuals of hernia repair. The veteran underwent a hernia repair while in service and the separation examination noted an umbilical hernia repair scar.

The veteran's claims for increased disability rating and reopening service connection were denied. The August 25, 1978 decision denying initial compensable evaluation for left wrist and hand injury was upheld as correct.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded due to his failure to appear at a scheduled hearing. The case will be returned to the Board for further action.

The veteran's claim for a higher disability rating for his service-connected bilateral wrist fractures is being remanded due to the need for additional medical examination and compliance with VCAA notice requirements.

The Board has granted the veteran's service connection for migraines, left wrist CTS, and right wrist CTS. However, it denied any increase in ratings as the current assigned ratings are already at their maximum under the applicable rating criteria.

The Board has determined that the veteran's post-traumatic stress disorder was not incurred in or aggravated by active military service, and denied his claim for an initial compensable evaluation for a scar of the left wrist. The noncompensable rating currently assigned remains unchanged.

The Board has determined that there is no competent evidence of current left wrist, left hand, or right hand disabilities. Therefore, the veteran's claims for service connection for these disabilities are denied.

The veteran's claims for increased ratings for osteoarthritis of the right knee, right wrist tendonitis, and left knee are denied.,The veteran is currently rated at 10 percent for osteoarthritis of the right knee (limitation of flexion), 10 percent for right knee medial laxity, 10 percent for osteoarthritis of the left knee, and 10 percent for tendonitis of the right wrist.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for right and left wrist disabilities, finding that there was no evidence of a chronic condition during service or continuity of symptomatology after service. The medical opinion provided by VA did not support the veteran's claim.

The veteran seeks service connection for various conditions, and the Board has determined that a remand is necessary to obtain additional development of his claims.

The Board found that the veteran's right knee disability was not incurred in or aggravated by his active duty service.,The veteran's service-connected right wrist disability is currently rated as 10 percent disabling, and a higher rating is denied.

The veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions were denied as there was no evidence of current disabilities or a link to service. The Board found that the preponderance of the evidence did not support the veteran's claims.