Wrist & hand decisions — 2015

The Veteran's claims for service connection were denied. The Board found no evidence of a chronic psychiatric disorder, left ankle disorder, or liver disorder in service and concluded that the current conditions are not related to service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's carpal tunnel syndrome is related to his military service and grants service connection for this condition.

The Board denied service connection for tinnitus, left ear hearing loss, right ear hearing loss, and carpal tunnel syndrome of the right hand. The Veteran's current conditions were not shown to be related to his military service.

The Board finds that the Veteran's left wrist disability, including malunion of the distal radius, is not due to fault on the part of VA in furnishing medical treatment and was not the result of an event not reasonably foreseeable.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for various musculoskeletal conditions have been denied as there is no evidence of a current disability or a link to military service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining updated medical records and providing supplemental opinions regarding the etiology of his right hand and right wrist disabilities.

The Veteran's claim for SMC at the housebound rate has been denied as he does not have a single disability rated as 100 percent or a TDIU based on a single disability. The evidence shows that his disabilities do not render him permanently housebound.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for his service-connected degenerative joint disease of the right wrist status post fusion with scar is denied as he is already receiving the maximum schedular rating.

The Veteran's claims for annual clothing allowances for the 2012 and 2013 calendar years are denied as there is no evidence that his prescribed orthopedic appliances or topical medication caused wear and tear on his clothing.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for his service-connected left wrist disability is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining updated VA treatment records and scheduling a new VA examination.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for a left shoulder disability, right wrist strain, right knee disability, staphylococcus infection, and left calf tear. The claim for an acquired psychiatric disorder was not reopened, as no new and material evidence was submitted within one year of the denial. Similarly, the claim for headache syndrome was also not reopened. However, the claim for a skin disability was reopened due to the submission of new and material evidence.

The Veteran's service-connected right wrist arthritis does not warrant a higher rating, and his TDIU claim is denied.

The Veteran does not have a diagnosed elbow, wrist, or ankle disability, to include fibromyalgia, that was caused by her service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling VA examinations to assess the severity of her service-connected lumbar spine, left knee, right knee, and left wrist disabilities.

The Veteran's service-connected mechanical low back pain, right wrist sprain, left wrist injury residuals, and postoperative residuals of a fracture of the left ankle are all rated at 10 percent. The Veteran is granted increased ratings to 20 percent for his mechanical low back pain from July 31, 2014.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further examination and opinion regarding his ability to secure and follow substantially gainful employment due to service-connected disabilities.

The Board found that the Veteran's original claims for service connection were filed on November 9, 2010, and granted by a May 8, 2012 rating decision. The effective date of these grants is set at November 18, 2010. The Veteran argued he should have received an earlier effective date based on his belief that he would have filed for service connection prior to November 9, 2010, if not for erroneous advice given during his separation physical examination in February 1961. However, the Board determined there was no evidence supporting this claim and denied the request for an earlier effective date.

The Veteran is seeking compensation under the provisions of 38 U.S.C.A. � 1151 for a left fifth (little) finger disorder to include left carpal tunnel syndrome and osteoarthritis, which he claims was caused by negligent treatment at the Syracuse, New York, VAMC in March 2009. The Board has ordered additional development of his claim.

The Veteran's claims for bilateral wrist disability and respiratory disorder are denied as there is no current diagnosis of a bilateral wrist condition, and the respiratory symptoms are not due to an undiagnosed illness or exposure in service. The low back disorder claim is also denied as it is less likely related to service.

The Board found that the appellant's additional disabilities, including cervical spine radiculopathy and psychiatric disorders, were not caused by VA carelessness or negligence. The surgeries performed did not result in these conditions.