Wrist & hand decisions — 2009

The Board has remanded the issues of service connection for left shoulder, right hip, and left wrist disabilities due to insufficient evidence regarding their etiology.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for restless leg syndrome, left carpal tunnel syndrome, and right carpal tunnel syndrome due to herbicide exposure are denied as there is no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for COPD and left wrist disability, finding no evidence of in-service incurrence or aggravation of these conditions.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for acid reflux, left wrist condition, and depression as secondary to his service-connected bilateral foot disabilities have been denied. The maximum rating of 30 percent has been assigned for residuals of bilateral foot frostbite.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for hematuria were denied. The Veteran was granted initial ratings of 20% and 30% for his right and left carpal tunnel syndromes, respectively, effective from January 1, 2000 to June 19, 2002, and in excess of 20% thereafter.

The Board has granted service connection for a right wrist disorder but denied secondary service connection for a psychiatric disorder.

The Veteran withdrew his appeals for service connection of bilateral knee and wrist disorders, as well as increased ratings for peripheral neuropathy. The Board dismissed these issues due to the Veteran's withdrawals.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development of his medical records and consideration of his claims.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating and extraschedular evaluation for his left wrist disability with loss of use of the left hand was granted, but he is still in receipt of the highest schedular rating possible.

The Veteran was granted a 10% rating for post nasal trauma and service connection for lumbar spine degenerative disc disease and herniated disc pulposus, but the claim to reopen for right carpal tunnel syndrome was denied.

The Board denied the appellant's claims for service connection for a bilateral hearing loss disability, an increased evaluation for residuals of right wrist fracture, and an increased evaluation for skin rash.

The Board denied an increased, initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for the service-connected left wrist fracture residuals.

The Board denied service connection for anxiety disorder, pes planus, sexual dysfunction, migraines, hypertension, back disorder, and carpal tunnel syndrome.

The Board found that the preponderance of the evidence is against the Veteran's claim for residuals of a right wrist fracture, as there was no evidence of a right wrist fracture during service and no competent medical evidence linking any post-service complaints to the Veteran's service.

The Veteran does not meet the schedular criteria for a total rating based on individual unemployability under 38 C.F.R. § 4.16(a), but his case should be referred to the Director of Compensation and Pension Service for extra-schedular consideration.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claims for service connection for a low back disability and residuals of a head injury, but denied service connection for a left shoulder disability, bilateral wrist disability, and left ear hearing loss.

The Board denied service connection for the claimed conditions as there was no evidence of a current disability related to each condition.

The Veteran's lumbar spine strain with degenerative disc disease at L4-5 was granted a 20 percent rating, while the other claims for increased ratings were denied.

The Board denied service connection for right ear hearing loss and denied increased ratings for cicatrices of the left lower extremity and a cicatrix of the left wrist, as these conditions were not aggravated by military service.

The appeal was remanded to obtain additional evidence, including private treatment records.