Wrist & hand decisions — 2015

The Board found no connection between any current or prior right arm disability and the Veteran's service, including her service-connected de Quervain's tenosynovitis of the right wrist. The Veteran's right arm disability was attributed to cervical radiculopathy.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the failure to schedule a Travel Board hearing. The claims for service connection and rating issues remain pending.

The Veteran is seeking service connection for bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome as secondary to his service-connected Raynaud's syndrome, and an increased rating for Raynaud's syndrome. The case has been remanded due to the need to consider additional VA treatment records.

The Board has reopened the claims of service connection for left wrist, right wrist, left knee, and right knee conditions due to new evidence showing symptoms during or after service. Service connection is granted for these conditions as direct service connection.

The Board denied increased disability ratings for service-connected left wrist and left ear hearing loss disabilities, finding that the schedular criteria were not met.

The Board found no evidence to support service connection for any of the claimed conditions, including as secondary to a service-connected disability.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for thoracic outlet syndrome, left wrist carpal tunnel syndrome, and a cervical spine disorder to the Denver, Colorado, Regional Office (RO) for additional action due to new evidence submitted by the Veteran.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claim for service connection for residuals of a cold injury to the fingers and toes should be remanded due to insufficient evidence in the record regarding his claimed in-service frostbite.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining service personnel records and arranging a VA examination. The Veteran's claim will be reconsidered after these steps are completed.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development and medical inquiry into his claims of service connection for PTSD, bone problems including arthritis, bilateral wrist fusion, and a skin disorder.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for leg, back, neck, and wrist disorders are denied as there is no evidence of current disabilities. The claim for bilateral hearing loss is also denied.

The Board is remanding the case to clarify whether service-connected disabilities contributed to the Veteran's death from intracerebral hemorrhage.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis related to his left leg fracture, distal fibula. The pre-existing right wrist navicular fracture was not aggravated during ACDUTRA and is not related to service.

The Veteran's claim for an increased evaluation for residuals, left wrist injury, status-post dorsal capsulodesis is being remanded to allow for clarification of the cause(s) of his recent loss of employment and additional development of VA treatment records.

The Board has granted a 20 percent rating for post-operative neurological manifestations of the left wrist, and found that an increased rating is warranted for orthopedic manifestations of both wrists. The Veteran's carpal tunnel syndrome of the right wrist was also rated at 30 percent.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for back disorder, left carpal tunnel syndrome, and right carpal tunnel syndrome are being remanded due to the inadequacy of previous VA examinations.

The Veteran's claims for increased evaluations of his service-connected right wrist/hand disabilities are being remanded to allow for additional development, including a new VA examination and the acquisition of relevant medical records.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings have been denied. The reduction in rating of coronary artery disease was not proper as there was no actual improvement in the disability.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection of bilateral hearing loss, right and left knee disorders, a ganglion cyst of the left wrist, a right wrist disorder, and migraine headaches. The evidence does not support a finding that these conditions are related to service.

The Board has determined that there is no evidence of a left wrist disability during the Veteran's service or since, and thus denied the claim for service connection.