Wrist & hand decisions — 2015

The Veteran's claim for reimbursement of unauthorized medical expenses incurred on August 29, 2012 for treatment of a nonservice-connected wrist condition was denied as the care and services were not rendered in a medical emergency.

The Board has remanded the case for further development due to issues related to service connection for various conditions, including a low back disorder. The Veteran's claims are currently under review.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development, including obtaining private treatment records and providing medical opinions regarding her current diagnoses and their relationship to service.

The Veteran's left wrist disability and low back disorder are service-connected. The Board granted the Veteran's claims for these conditions.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for loss or atrophy of the left testicle is granted. The Board finds that the evidence is at least in equipoise as to whether the Veteran's current condition was incurred during his period of active duty.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining in-service hospital records and providing addendums to the etiology opinions regarding the Veteran's bilateral knee and wrist disabilities. The appeal is now pending again with the AOJ.

The Veteran's right carpal tunnel syndrome is currently rated at 10 percent, the minimum rating available under VA regulations. The Board finds that her symptoms do not warrant a higher evaluation.

The Board is remanding the Veteran's claims for additional development and consideration, including to verify his alleged stressors related to PTSD. The claims will be readjudicated in light of all additional evidence.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including VA examinations to assess the severity of her service-connected disabilities and determine if she is unemployable due to those conditions.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for his service-connected chronic left wrist sprain is being remanded due to the need for a new VA examination and the possible availability of additional medical records.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims due to insufficient development and need for clarification of his current diagnoses related to his claimed conditions.

The Veteran's appeal involves multiple secondary service connection claims for various disabilities, including left knee, right hand/wrist, right hip, back, and right shoulder conditions. The Board has determined that the current examinations are inadequate to address these issues and requires additional evaluations.

The Veteran withdrew his appeals for the issues of service connection for tension headaches, a sleep disorder, bilateral restless leg syndrome, and skin disorder during the September 2014 Board hearing.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for residuals of a left wrist fracture and a scar on the left wrist were denied. The initial rating for the scar was granted at 10 percent, but no other disabilities are currently service-connected.

The Veteran's right wrist disability has been manifested by symptoms of painful motion, weakness, limitation of palmar flexion to 10 degrees, limitation of dorsiflexion to 5 degrees, less than 5 degrees of radial deviation, and 5 degrees of ulnar deviation. For the entire increased rating period, the criteria for a disability rating in excess of 30 percent have not been met or more nearly approximated.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to damaged records from the Social Security Administration.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for an earlier effective date for PTSD and for service connection for various undiagnosed illness-related conditions. The issues of new and material evidence were also addressed, but no new or additional evidence was provided to reopen the low back disorder claim.

The Veteran's hypertension, atrial tachycardia, and chronic lumbar strain are rated at the maximum allowable under VA regulations. The other conditions have been evaluated as noncompensable or with a 10% rating.

The Veteran's claims for higher initial ratings for left thumb MCP joint and scaphoid osteoarthritis, right wrist osteoarthritis, low back strain, and right ear hearing loss have been denied. The current evaluations are found to be appropriate.

The Board has remanded the case due to deficiencies in its analysis and a need for a new VA examination of the Veteran's right wrist carpal tunnel syndrome.