Wrist & hand decisions — 2015

The Veteran's claim for payment or reimbursement of unauthorized medical expenses incurred at a private hospital on February 25, 2008 is denied as he had other insurance coverage and did not meet all the conditions for reimbursement under VA regulations.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the cancellation of his scheduled hearing. His claims for service connection are still pending and will be addressed after a new hearing date is set.

The Veteran's left wrist disability is found to be secondary to his service-connected right wrist disability. His bilateral hearing loss claim remains pending and will need to be addressed separately.

The Veteran's right wrist disability is rated at 10 percent prior to July 18, 2011. The appeal for increased ratings and service connection claims are addressed in the REMAND portion of the decision.

The Board has determined that there is no evidence to support a link between the Veteran's current wrist arthritis and her military service, including repetitive tasks during service. The claim for service connection is denied.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities meet the percentage requirements for TDIU prior to December 12, 2014. After that date, other than PTSD, his remaining service connected disorders do not meet the schedular criteria for consideration of TDIU.

The Veteran's right inguinal herniorrhaphy residuals are rated at 10 percent, which is the maximum schedular rating available under Diagnostic Code 7338.,The Veteran's benign cyst of the left wrist does not meet or approximate the criteria for a compensable evaluation.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining STRs from Heidelberg Army Hospital and scheduling a VA examination to address whether the Veteran's right wrist disability is related to service or his military duties.

The Board found that the Veteran's left knee, wrist, hand, and back disorders were not incurred or aggravated by service or related to a service-connected disability. The right knee disorder was granted service connection but with an initial rating of 10% prior to October 5, 2009, and 30% thereafter.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not meet the criteria for service connection for any of the conditions listed, including Agent Orange exposure.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities prior to September 28, 2012 interfered with his employability. From that date, he has established service connection for PTSD rated at 70%, making a 10% rating under 38 C.F.R. § 3.324 not applicable.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not preclude him from securing and following substantially gainful employment, thus his claim for TDIU is denied.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to his failure to appear for a scheduled hearing. He has requested that the hearing be rescheduled and provided evidence of National Guard training.

The Veteran claims service connection for bilateral upper extremity nerve entrapment, which he believes is related to his service. The November 2010 VA examination did not find any neurological impairment, but the December 2012 nerve conduction studies found mild entrapment of the left ulnar nerve. The Board finds that a remand is necessary for further development and an updated opinion.

The Board found that the Veteran's current right and left knee disabilities are not related to service, as there was no evidence of arthritis during service or within one year post-service.,For his right lower arm and wrist disability, the Board determined that it is less likely related to service due to a fracture sustained in 1981. For his left lower arm/wrist disability, the Board concluded that it is also not related to service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claimed conditions, including a fatty tumor of the head, headaches, and left wrist disorder, are not related to service. The Veteran did not meet the criteria for service connection as his current disabilities do not constitute a disability for VA purposes.

The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including psychiatric disorders, diabetes mellitus, retinopathy, knee and back disorders, hypertension, genitourinary issues, skin conditions, arthritis, traumatic brain injury, fibromyalgia, Reiter's syndrome, autoimmune disorder, hand and elbow disorders, and kidney problems. The decision also denied a temporary total rating for convalescence purposes due to right thumb fracture.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining an addendum medical opinion and procuring post-service treatment records.

The Board denied vocational rehabilitation benefits and training due to the Veteran's inability to achieve a reasonable vocational goal given his service-connected disabilities, non-service-connected conditions, and behavioral issues.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of a left wrist disability and therefore, service connection for this condition is denied.