Wrist & hand decisions — 2014

The Veteran's service-connected left wrist disability is not shown to be exceptional or unusual, and the current schedular ratings adequately reflect his impairment. The Board finds no basis for an extraschedular rating.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for left thumb disability, finding that the evidence is at least in equipoise as to whether his current condition was incurred during active duty. The issue of reopening the claim for left wrist disability was withdrawn by the Veteran.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD, bilateral wrist disability, and bilateral hand disability.

The Veteran's left wrist disability, diagnosed as left wrist posttraumatic synovitis, posttraumatic degenerative arthritis, and scapholunate dissociation, is causally related to his military service. The appeal for this condition has been granted.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection have been denied. The appeals are remanded to further develop and consider these claims.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection and increased ratings have been withdrawn.

The Veteran's claims are being remanded for additional development, including obtaining updated VA treatment records and private medical records. The Board will also consider whether extraschedular ratings are warranted for the left inguinal hernia and carpal tunnel syndromes, and will determine appropriate effective dates for service connection and increased ratings.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's pre-existing left wrist disability was aggravated by his military service, and thus grants entitlement to service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's claim for reopening his right wrist disability was granted, and the Board found new and material evidence to support a current right wrist disability. The case is remanded for further examination and opinion regarding whether the current right wrist disability is related to service.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to service, but his right wrist injury is considered incurred in service.,Service connection for residuals of a right wrist injury is granted.

The Veteran's temporary total disability rating based on VA hospitalization in September 2005 for service-connected right wrist pain, status-post ganglion cyst excision or service-connected right carpal tunnel syndrome is denied as the evidence does not meet the criteria under 38 C.F.R. § 4.29 or § 4.30.

The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome did not have its onset during active military service and denied his claim for service connection.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for further development due to his failure to report for a scheduled hearing. The case is now pending and will be handled in an expeditious manner.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's residuals of a right wrist injury are not related to his active service and therefore denied his claim.

The Board has reopened the claim of service connection for a right wrist disability and finds that new and material evidence has been received. The Veteran's statements regarding his in-service injury are considered credible, raising a reasonable possibility of substantiating the underlying claim.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and scheduling a VA examination to determine if the Veteran's right wrist condition is related to service.

The Veteran has withdrawn his appeals for service connection for a neurological disorder of the upper extremities and an increased evaluation for residuals of shell fragment wound to the left leg.

The Veteran's left wrist disability is being remanded for further examination and opinion to determine its relationship to his service-connected knee disabilities.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including a low back disability and postoperative metastatic breast cancer. The claim of service connection for a low back disability was not reopened due to lack of new and material evidence. Service connection was also denied for other conditions.

The Veteran's carpal tunnel syndrome of the left and right upper extremities have been rated as 10 percent disabling since December 2008. The Board has determined that from December 18, 2008 to February 12, 2012, the symptoms were mild, warranting a 10 percent rating for each hand. From February 13, 2012, the symptoms have been even milder, warranting no increase in disability ratings.