Wrist & hand decisions — 2013

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including a VA examination to assess the severity of her right wrist disability and etiology of her syringomyelia. The RO/AMC will also readjudicate her claims for increased rating and service connection.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities prevent him from securing and following a substantially gainful occupation.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including degenerative disc and joint disease of the lumbar spine, hypertension, tinnitus, right wrist degenerative joint disease, bilateral plantar fasciitis, bilateral hearing loss, and a right wrist scar, are considered in determining whether he is unemployable due to his service-connected conditions.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a respiratory disorder, right ear hearing loss, chronic urinary tract infections, and bilateral wrist disorder. The Veteran is not entitled to service connection for these conditions as they are determined to be unrelated to her military service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome and a low back disorder, finding that there was no evidence linking these conditions to her active duty service.

The Veteran's appeal includes claims for increased ratings, an effective date assignment, and service connection for various conditions. The Board has determined that additional development is needed to obtain outstanding treatment records from Waycross Orthopedics and to issue a Statement of the Case regarding the effective date claim.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining updated medical records and scheduling VA examinations to assess the severity of his service-connected disabilities and determine if a cervical spine disorder is related to his radial nerve condition.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's left wrist disability does not present an exceptional or unusual disability picture warranting extra-schedular consideration. The TDIU claim is also denied as it is not supported by evidence of unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for hypertension, chronic eye pain, and chronic bone and body pain (including shoulder, arm, and back pain) due to a lack of evidence linking these conditions to his military service. The Veteran did not provide credible evidence of exposure to herbicide agents such as Agent Orange during his time in Germany.

The Board has ordered additional development to obtain the Veteran's private medical records, including those from his last month of life. The case will be remanded for a new opinion regarding whether any service-connected disability contributed to or caused the Veteran's death.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a right wrist disability and a heart disorder, finding that there was no evidence of in-service injury or disease related to these conditions. The Board also found that any current heart disorder is not caused by his service-connected PTSD.

The Board found that the Veteran's carpal tunnel syndrome and elbow disorder did not begin during service or be related to his service-connected shoulder disability, thus denying these claims.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims due to the need for additional VA treatment records between 2002 and 2005. The claims will be reconsidered after these records are obtained.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection were dismissed due to his withdrawal of the claims.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's left shoulder and left wrist tendonitis are directly related to his service, and therefore grants service connection for these conditions.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining additional medical records and arranging a VA examination to assess the Veteran's service-connected disabilities and their impact on his ability to work. The TDIU claim will be reconsidered based on the new evidence.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for degenerative disc disease of the cervical spine has been reopened and is now pending. The VA will conduct further examination to determine if his current shoulder, bilateral leg, and right wrist disabilities are related to his cervical spine disability.

The Veteran's combined disability rating is 60 percent, which does not meet the criteria for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including left shoulder strain, lumbar disc disease, L5-S1 radiculopathy of the left lower extremity, and other conditions, are found to preclude him from securing and following substantially gainful employment.

The Board has ordered a remand due to insufficient evidence regarding the etiology of the Veteran's right wrist disability, including arthritis. The case will be returned for further examination and consideration.