Wrist & hand decisions — 2017

The Board found no evidence of a current disability related to the Veteran's claimed right wrist/hand/soft tissue condition, left shoulder condition, or low back pain and upper back pain due to dislocated rib. The preponderance of the evidence is against these claims.,Service connection was denied for all three conditions as there is no medical evidence linking them to service.

The Board has determined that additional medical opinions are needed to address the Veteran's claims for service connection due to incomplete or conflicting evidence in previous VA examination reports and lack of clear opinion regarding the etiology of his conditions.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus and reopened the claim for a skin disorder. The Veteran's right wrist, hearing loss, chronic fatigue syndrome, irritable bowel syndrome, gastrointestinal disorder (GERD and/or hiatal hernia), and psychological disorder other than PTSD have been found to be related to service.

The Veteran's claim for special monthly pension based on need for aid and attendance is denied as he does not meet the criteria of being helpless or so nearly helpless that he requires regular aid and attendance.

The Board has decided to remand the case for further development due to a need for additional medical opinions regarding the relationship between the Veteran's current right wrist condition and his service-connected right fifth metacarpal fracture.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not prevent him from securing and following a substantially gainful occupation prior to August 18, 2010.

The Veteran's appeals were dismissed due to untimely filing of the substantive appeal.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed for the Veteran's cervical spine disability, bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome, and hypothyroidism claims. The case will be returned to the Board after this development.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including scheduling a DRO hearing and obtaining VA treatment records. Additionally, the Veteran needs to be scheduled for VA examinations of his right knee, wrist, back, and PTSD.

The Veteran's claims for increased evaluations of his diabetes mellitus type II, bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome, and peripheral neuropathy have been denied. The current ratings are deemed appropriate based on the severity of the disabilities.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including a VA examination.

The Veteran's thoracic and lumbosacral spine degenerative disc disease is currently rated at 10 percent, which is the maximum allowable rating under the diagnostic criteria. The cervical spine disability is also rated at 10 percent. No other conditions have been granted increased ratings.

The Veteran's appeal for TDIU has been remanded due to the need for additional development, including a VA examination and consideration of new evidence. The case will be returned to the AOJ for readjudication.

The Veteran's service connection claim for residuals of a right wrist fracture is denied as there is no evidence that the current condition is related to his military service. For his left knee disability, he was granted a combined rating of 20 percent prior to February 29, 2016.

The Board has remanded the case due to an unavailable EMG study and a need for further examination. The Veteran's right upper extremity disability, including carpal tunnel syndrome, is being evaluated again.

The Veteran's service-connected conditions do not prevent him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation, and he has been employed full-time with VA since September 2013.

The Veteran's PTSD with mood disorder has been characterized by occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity due to difficulty in understanding complex commands, impaired judgment, disturbances of motivation and mood. The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have prevented him from obtaining and maintaining substantially gainful employment consistent with his educational and vocational experience.

The Board found that the Veteran's claimed bilateral wrist, left elbow, and bilateral arm disabilities were not present in service or related to his service. The appeal for these conditions was denied.

The Board found that the Veteran's left wrist disability, manifested by painful motion and mild ulnar neuropathy with intermittent radiation of numbness into the fourth and fifth fingers, does not warrant a rating higher than 10 percent.

The Veteran's left wrist disability, including residuals of a bone graft for nonunion fracture of the left scaphoid with traumatic arthritis, has been rated as 10 percent disabling since July 2006. The Board found that his current range of motion is limited to palmar flexion from zero to five degrees and dorsiflexion from zero to five degrees, corresponding to favorable ankylosis in 20 to 30 degrees dorsiflexion.