Wrist & hand decisions — 2008

The veteran's claim for service connection for a left wrist disability was remanded to the RO for further development.

The veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection were denied as the evidence did not support higher disability ratings or additional service-connected conditions.

The Board denied service connection for degenerative arthritis and disc disease of the cervical spine, degenerative joint disease of both wrists, and degenerative joint disease of both hips as these conditions were not related to the veteran's active military service.

The Board remands the issue of entitlement to an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for a ganglion cyst of the right wrist, with degenerative changes of the first metacarpophalangeal and first carpometacarpal joint.

The veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including a low back condition, neck condition, left knee condition, right knee condition, bilateral wrist condition, and bilateral ankle condition were dismissed as the evidence did not support a finding of service connection.

The Board denied service connection for all the claimed conditions as there was no competent evidence of any currently diagnosed condition that is related to the veteran's active military service.

The Board granted service connection for acne vulgaris, but denied claims for peripheral neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities and carpal tunnel syndrome.

The veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for the grant of a total evaluation based on unemployability due to service-connected disability was denied.

The veteran's service-connected disabilities, while significant, do not render him unemployable. His combined disability rating is 60%, and the evidence does not support that his service-connected conditions alone prevent him from obtaining or maintaining employment.

The Board has no jurisdiction to adjudicate the merits of these claims due to the RO's grant of service connection for the veteran's right wrist and back disabilities.

The veteran was granted a 10 percent disability rating for her service-connected right wrist ganglion cyst, but the claim for an increased rating for her lumbar strain was denied.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for an earlier effective date for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and for new and material evidence to reopen previously denied claims for arthritis of the left wrist, residuals of a head injury with headaches, and residuals of a hand injury.

The Board granted the veteran's motion to advance his appeal on the Board's docket and found that new and material evidence had been received to reopen a claim for service connection for low back disability. The claims for increased ratings and service connection for left wrist/thumb/finger disabilities were denied.

The veteran's claims for service connection for heart disease, an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for the bilateral shoulder and left knee disabilities, and an initial compensable evaluation for the right wrist disability are being remanded to the RO for additional development.

The veteran's service-connected PTSD is not shown to be more severe than the currently assigned 50 percent rating, and new and material evidence has not been received to reopen a previously denied claim for a right wrist disability.

The veteran's service-connected disabilities do not warrant a higher rating, and he is not entitled to TDIU.

The veteran's claims for increased initial disability ratings were denied as the evidence did not support higher ratings.

The veteran's claim for an annual clothing allowance was denied because his service-connected disabilities do not meet the criteria for such an allowance.

The Board remanded the claims for increased ratings to the RO for further development and adjudication.

The Board denied the claim for service connection for the cause of the veteran's death, as a service-connected disability was not the principal or contributory cause of his death and the disease processes leading to his death were not attributable to active military service.