Wrist & hand decisions — 2014

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for increased evaluations for his service-connected rheumatoid arthritis disabilities are not supported by the evidence of record, and thus have been denied.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining private treatment records and ensuring all claims are properly adjudicated.

The Veteran's appeal has been withdrawn, and the issues have been dismissed.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's carpal tunnel syndrome was not incurred or aggravated as a result of active service.

The Veteran's service connection claims for left carpal tunnel syndrome and a skin disorder of the left side of the face and scalp are granted as they are presumed due to herbicide exposure.,Service connection is granted for a disability of the right thumb and wrist, tinnitus, bilateral hearing loss, amblyopia, and deformed toes. The spleen rupture claim secondary to a service-connected skin lesion of the foot is also granted.,The effective date for the increased rating of 10 percent for the service-connected skin lesion of the plantar aspect of the left foot is set at January 12, 2007.

The Veteran's service-connected peripheral neuropathy of the right lower extremity, including residuals of a gunshot wound to the right thigh, is rated at 20 percent. The left lower extremity and both upper extremities are each rated at 10 percent.

The Veteran's left median neuropathy (previously diagnosed as carpal tunnel syndrome) is currently rated at 20 percent, and the Board finds that it does not warrant a higher rating based on the current evidence of record.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and verifying his periods of active duty and inactive duty training. A VA examination will be scheduled to determine the etiology of any current back disorder.

The Board has granted service connection for moderate osteoarthritis of the right wrist and a residual scar from a laceration in the right hand. The claim for other disorders, including strain, is denied due to lack of medical nexus.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for her left wrist fractures and scars were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not meet the criteria for a higher rating based on the number of painful or unstable scars.

The Board has granted service connection for meralgia paresthetica and neuropathy of the right thigh, carpal tunnel syndrome of the left wrist, diabetes mellitus type II, and sleep apnea. The effective date is set at April 7, 2014.

The Veteran's service connection claims for hemorrhoids, left shoulder impingement syndrome, urinary incontinence, posterior fistulotomy, status post hemangioma liver with scars, diverticulitis, and retinaculum removal are all granted. The Veteran is assigned a noncompensable (0%) disability evaluation for her service-connected lipoma removal scar.

The Board found that the Veteran's current left wrist CTS is not related to his active duty service and denied his claims for service connection.

The Veteran's left knee degenerative joint disease is currently rated as 10 percent disabling, but the Board has found that he should be granted separate ratings for noncompensable limitation of motion (flexion limited to 110 degrees or better and full extension) and slight instability.,For his right CTS, the Veteran's condition most nearly approximates incomplete paralysis of the major median nerve with no more than mild impairment. For his left CTS, it is also rated as having no more than mild impairment.,The Veteran's bilateral cortical cataracts are currently rated as noncompensable and do not meet criteria for a compensable rating.,PTSD has been granted service connection effective August 27, 2012. The Veteran's PTSD most nearly approximates occupational and social impairment with an occasional decrease in work efficiency and intermittent periods of inability to perform occupational tasks.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including PTSD, arthritis, a bilateral foot disability, and peripheral neuropathy. The appeals are based on direct evidence of these conditions without any presumption or secondary relationship to service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome is being remanded for further examination and opinion regarding whether it is at least as likely as not caused or aggravated by his service-connected low back disability, specifically use of a cane.

The Veteran's appeal was denied for increased ratings for his service-connected ankle and wrist disabilities, as well as for earlier effective dates. The claims were not supported by the evidence of record at the time of the February 1970 rating decision.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence was not received to reopen the claim for service connection of carpal tunnel syndrome, resulting in a denial.

The Veteran's stomach cancer and adrenal adenoma were not found to be related to service or herbicide exposure. The right wrist disability was also not found to be related to service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current left ear hearing loss is related to in-service acoustic trauma and grants service connection for this condition. The right wrist fracture claim was withdrawn prior to a decision, so it is dismissed.