Wrist & hand decisions — 2015

The Veteran's bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome is presumed to have been incurred in active service due to symptoms manifesting within one year of his retirement.

The Veteran's appeal of the issues regarding increased evaluations for his left wrist disability and carpel tunnel syndrome has been dismissed due to the Veteran's representative withdrawing all such claims.

The Board has remanded the case due to lack of substantial compliance with prior remand directives, and the Veteran's left wrist condition may have been injured during service in May 1977.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling examinations to determine the nature and etiology of his claimed right hand/wrist disability and left leg disability.

The Veteran's service connection claims for upper extremity neurological condition, urinary issues, and gastrointestinal issues have been denied. The Board found no evidence linking these conditions to the Veteran's active service or any service-connected disabilities.,Specifically, the Veteran was diagnosed with bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome of the upper extremities but not peripheral neuropathy. His urinary urgency is attributed to elevated PSA levels from an enlarged prostate, unrelated to herbicide exposure or diabetes mellitus. The Veteran also denied having current gastrointestinal issues.

The Veteran's claim for TDIU is being remanded to the AOJ for further development and consideration of whether an extraschedular TDIU rating should be granted.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's left wrist degenerative joint disease and carpal tunnel syndrome did not have their onset in service or are related to any in-service injury, event, or disease. Therefore, service connection for these conditions is denied.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for a new VA examination and potential referral for extraschedular consideration.

The Veteran's service-connected left wrist injury residuals are rated as noncompensable, and his arthritis of the left knee is currently rated at 10 percent. The Board finds that a higher rating for either condition is not warranted.

The Board has determined that right wrist carpal tunnel syndrome is presumed to have been incurred in service, and the Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea was found not to be related to his active duty service.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating and TDIU was granted. The Veteran is now rated at 50% for her right wrist disability, effective August 7, 2013.

The Veteran is granted a clothing allowance for 2013 due to her service-connected right and left knee disabilities and right wrist disability causing wear on her clothing.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for his bilateral elbow, knee, and wrist disabilities are being remanded due to inconsistencies in the medical evidence. A Persian Gulf War examination is needed to clarify whether these conditions should be considered as undiagnosed illnesses or medically unexplained chronic multisymptom illnesses.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome is at least as likely as not caused by his service-connected cervical spine disability. The remaining issues of entitlement to service connection for allergies, psychiatric disorder (now characterized as psychiatric disorder, to include as secondary to service-connected disabilities), fibromyalgia, and sleep apnea are addressed.

The Veteran's right wrist disability has been rated at 30% prior to September 22, 2010 and 40% thereafter. The claim is granted for the period prior to September 22, 2010.

The Veteran's death is being reviewed to determine if any service-connected conditions contributed to his cause of death, including exposure to herbicides and use of prescribed medications.

The Board has granted a 20 percent rating for carpal tunnel syndrome of the right wrist and a 30 percent rating for carpal tunnel syndrome of the left wrist, effective from the date of the November 2008 decision.

The Veteran was granted a TDIU effective April 26, 2009, due to the combined effects of his service-connected disabilities preventing him from securing or following substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not preclude substantially gainful employment prior to October 9, 2013.

The Veteran has withdrawn all of her claims on appeal, including those for service connection and initial disability ratings.