Wrist & hand decisions — 2010

The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining outstanding service treatment records and VA treatment records.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and initial ratings have been granted. The Veteran is now service-connected for hearing loss, tinnitus, residuals of an eye injury, hypertension (as secondary to sleep apnea), facial reconstruction, obstructive sleep apnea, fractures of the right hand, a fracture of the right wrist, and headaches.

The Veteran seeks an increased rating for his service-connected right wrist disability. The Board has determined that a remand is necessary to ensure a complete record and to assess the current nature and severity of the Veteran's service-connected disability.

The Board found that the Veteran's death was not caused by his service-connected PTSD, and thus denied entitlement to service connection for cause of death.

The Veteran's cervical spine disability is rated at 30 percent effective September 16, 2009. The claim for service connection for bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome remains pending.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right wrist ankylosis was incurred during active duty and granted service connection for this condition.

The Veteran seeks service connection for a bilateral hand condition, including carpal tunnel syndrome, which he claims is related to his service-connected cervical spine disability. The case is being remanded for further examination and opinion regarding the etiology of the claimed conditions.

The Board has remanded the claims for wrist, back, and stomach disabilities due to incomplete service records. The Veteran's conditions are being evaluated based on direct service connection.

The Veteran's claimed conditions, including migraine headaches, hearing loss, arthritis of various joints, asthma, lower back degenerative disc disease and muscle pain, an acquired psychiatric disorder to include depression, allergies and rhinitis, and nerve paralysis, were not incurred in or aggravated by service.

The Veteran's claim for special monthly compensation based on loss of use of the right hand is granted due to the findings that his condition results in no effective remaining function other than what would be equally well served by an amputation stump at the site of election below the elbow with use of a suitable prosthetic appliance.

The Board found that the Veteran did not sustain a right wrist injury or disease in service, and symptoms of a right wrist disorder were not chronic in service. The current right wrist disorder is not related to her active service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his right wrist fracture and service connection for a right shoulder disorder, right elbow disorder, and hearing loss. The decision also noted that tinnitus was not adjudicated.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for carpal tunnel syndrome of the left wrist was denied. His right wrist carpal tunnel syndrome is currently rated as noncompensable (0 percent).

The Veteran's death was not caused by VA carelessness, negligence, or similar fault. The Board finds the preponderance of evidence against his claim.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including scheduling a VA examination to determine if the Veteran meets the criteria for special monthly pension based on the need for aid and attendance of another. The examiner should assess whether his nonservice-connected conditions render him in need of assistance with activities of daily living.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection have been denied as new and material evidence was not received to reopen any of the previously denied claims.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for fibromyalgia and migraine headaches have been granted. The remaining issues are addressed in the REMAND section.

The Board denied reopening the claim for service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death due to lack of new and material evidence.

The Veteran's left carpal tunnel syndrome is not separate and distinct from his residuals of interosseous nerve injury, which results in severe incomplete paralysis. The Board denied a separate rating for the carpal tunnel syndrome.

The Veteran's combined evaluation for compensation is 40 percent, which does not meet the criteria for a TDIU as per VA regulations.