Wrist & hand decisions — 2012

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's bilateral wrist, knee, and ankle disorders. However, she does not have a current gynecological disability associated with her miscarriage in service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's low back disability, diagnosed as degenerative changes of the lumbar spine, was caused by his military service. The claim for bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome is remanded due to outstanding records and a need for additional medical opinion.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development to determine the severity of his service-connected right wrist disability and whether he has a separate and distinct neurological impairment of his right hand.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's service-connected rheumatoid arthritis of the right elbow, left elbow, right wrist, left wrist, right hand, and left hand warrants a combined rating of greater than 60 percent. As such, the highest schedular rating available under Diagnostic Code 5002 is granted.

The Board found that there is no evidence to support a finding that the Veteran's bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome was incurred in or aggravated by his military service.

The Veteran's appeal involves multiple claims for increased ratings and effective dates, as well as a claim for TDIU. The Board has determined that additional development is needed to ensure all relevant evidence is considered in the decision-making process.

The Veteran's appeal has been withdrawn, and the case is dismissed.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome and denied increased ratings for peripheral neuropathy of the right and left upper extremities. The Veteran's conditions are currently rated as follows: loss of use of both feet (100%), coronary artery disease (60%), PTSD (50%), arthritis of the lumbar spine (40%), peripheral neuropathy of the right upper extremity (30%), peripheral neuropathy of the left upper extremity (20%), diabetes mellitus, type 2 (20%), compression of the L5 nerve root with numbness in the left foot (10%), and erectile dysfunction (noncompensable).

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome. The appellant is seeking attorney's fees related to this decision, but the RO denied his request. The case is being remanded to issue a Statement of the Case on the underlying claim.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for right wrist, left wrist, right shoulder, and left shoulder disorders have been reopened. Bilateral hearing loss disability is granted as incurred in service.,Tinnitus is granted as incurred in service.

The Veteran's initial compensable disability evaluations for his ganglion cyst of the right wrist and early loss of the medial joint space of the right knee have been granted. The Veteran is currently rated at 10 percent for both conditions.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for a right foot condition and a right leg condition have been denied as there is no evidence of any current disability related to his in-service injury, and the Veteran has not provided sufficient credible evidence to establish continuity of symptomatology.

The Veteran's appeal involves multiple issues related to service connection for various disabilities, including bilateral hearing loss, vision impairment, and neurological disorders. The claims are being remanded due to the need for additional medical records and a new VA examination.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to the RO for scheduling a video conference Board hearing at the RO. The issues on appeal include service connection claims and increased rating claims.

The Board has reopened the claim for service connection for a left wrist disorder and granted service connection based on direct evidence showing that the Veteran's fall due to his right knee disability caused him to injure his left wrist.,Service connection was also established for varicose veins of the right leg, which were found to be related to the Veteran's service-connected right knee disability.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional examinations and development of his claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and a left wrist disability.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to obtain his service treatment records and for a comprehensive VA examination to clarify the current diagnoses and etiology of his claimed disabilities.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for hemorrhoids and right wrist perilunate dislocation are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining SSA records and scheduling VA examinations.

The Board has reopened several claims and remanded them for further development, including those related to the Veteran's bilateral foot disorder, shoulder disorders, hypertension, PTSD, left wrist disorder, right ear disorder, chronic fatigue syndrome, peripheral neuropathy, and left elbow disorder.

The Board denied entitlement to higher initial ratings for the Veteran's migraine headaches and bilateral wrist disabilities, finding that her symptoms did not meet or approximate criteria warranting a rating in excess of 30 percent for migraines or a rating in excess of 10 percent for degenerative arthritic changes of the wrists.