Wrist & hand decisions — 2010

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete VA examination reports and the Veteran's request for a travel board hearing.

The Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for the grants of service connection and increased evaluations have been granted.

The Veteran's claim for a separate rating for neurological impairment of the left shoulder and an initial rating higher than 20 percent for residuals of a left shoulder injury on an extraschedular basis has been denied. The evidence does not support granting these claims.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for degenerative joint disease, carpal tunnel syndrome, and skin cancer. The evidence does not show current diagnoses of these conditions or any in-service events that would support a finding of service connection.

The Board has remanded the case for further development of service personnel and treatment records from the appellant's reserve service.

The Veteran's appeal has been dismissed as he withdrew his appeals for all issues except PTSD.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for a video conference hearing with a Veterans Law Judge.

The Veteran's muscle and joint pain in the left wrist, bilateral elbows, and shoulders were not found to be related to service. The Veteran's hip condition was rated at 10 percent, his cervical spine condition at 60 percent, and his thoracolumbar spine condition did not meet criteria for a higher rating.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's left wrist disorder existed prior to service and was not aggravated by service, thus denying his claim for service connection.

The Veteran's right ear hearing loss disability is granted as incurred in service. The issues of entitlement to service connection for a right knee disorder, bilateral wrist/hand disability, and left ear hearing loss disability (now bilateral) are remanded.

The Veteran's right wrist disorder is service-connected, but his left wrist fracture prior to August 29, 2008 does not meet the criteria for a compensable disability rating. Beginning August 29, 2008, the Veteran's left wrist fracture does not warrant a disability rating greater than 10 percent.

The Veteran's initial claim for a higher rating for diplopia due to right eye lid injury was granted, with a current disability rating of 10 percent effective March 19, 2008. Service connection was established for left wrist ganglion cyst and residuals of bilateral frozen feet (claimed as frostbite of the feet). However, service connection for a right ankle disability was not established.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's low back and right wrist disabilities were not incurred or aggravated by service, nor may they be presumed to have been incurred in service. The evidence does not support a finding of continuity of symptomatology since service.

The Veteran's claims for increased rating for hypertension, service connection for carpal tunnel syndrome of the right wrist, and reopening a previously denied claim for lumbar spine disability were all denied by the RO. The decision also granted service connection for hypertension but assigned a noncompensable disability rating.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has not been received to reopen the claims of service connection for a left knee disorder, skin disorders (tinea corporis, venereal warts, hand warts, pseudofolliculitis), and a left wrist fracture. The claims are therefore denied.

The Board has granted service connection for right and left carpal tunnel syndrome, and an increased rating of 10% for a left index finger scar. The Veteran's conditions are considered to be directly related to his military service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and higher ratings have been denied. The Board has granted service connection for carpal tunnel syndrome of the left hand.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for his service-connected post-operative ganglion cyst of the left wrist was denied as there is no evidence showing that the disability presented any exceptional or unusual circumstances, so the assigned schedular evaluation is adequate.

The Board has determined that the Veteran did not file a timely notice of disagreement regarding the September 2003 rating decision, which denied service connection for right hip injury, right knee injury, and bilateral shoulder pain, as well as assigning noncompensable ratings for bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome and degenerative disc disease of the lumbar and cervical spine segments. As such, the appeal is denied.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities are not shown to be of such severity so as to preclude substantially gainful employment.