Wrist & hand decisions — 2018

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection are inextricably intertwined with his claims for workers' compensation and must be remanded to obtain relevant records. Additionally, he needs medical examinations or opinions regarding his lumbar spine disability, left hip and shoulder disabilities, and Guillain-Barre syndrome.

The Veteran's claims for effective dates prior to October 1, 2001 for the grant of service connection for right knee and left knee disabilities are denied.,The Veteran’s claim for an increased rating for his right wrist disability is remanded.

The Board has remanded the claims for further examination and evaluation due to the Veteran's inability to attend previously scheduled examinations.

The Board has remanded the cases due to insufficient evidence for determining the nature and etiology of the appellant's left shoulder disorder, left wrist disorder including carpal tunnel syndrome, and right leg varicose veins. The RO must obtain her complete service personnel records and schedule a new medical examination.

The Board dismissed the Veteran's appeals on all issues due to his withdrawal of the appeal prior to a decision being made.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to properly adjudicate the Veteran's claims for service connection of bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, a back disability, and a bilateral wrist disability. The Veteran will be afforded VA examinations in order to determine if her conditions are related to service.

The Board denied service connection for right ankle arthritis and gout, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are not proximately caused by or aggravated by her service-connected right ankle strain.,The Board also denied service connection for right wrist arthritis and gout, concluding that these conditions were not related to her service-connected carpal tunnel syndrome.

The Board denied service connection for a left shoulder disability and bilateral wrist disability, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are not related to his service or service-connected pes planus.,The Board reopened the claims of service connection for lumbar spine and bilateral knee disabilities due to new evidence provided by the Veteran.

The Veteran's traumatic arthritis of the right wrist is currently rated at 10 percent, and his carpal tunnel syndrome prior to September 5, 2017 is also rated at 10 percent. Since then, it has been rated at 20 percent.,For the period prior to September 5, 2017, the Veteran's right wrist carpal tunnel syndrome was rated as 10 percent disabling. After that date, it was rated as 20 percent disabling.,The Veteran is granted a TDIU on an extraschedular basis for the period prior to September 5, 2017.,The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have not resulted in a rating higher than 10 percent for traumatic arthritis and 10 percent for carpal tunnel syndrome since September 5, 2017.

The Veteran's initial rating for rheumatoid arthritis of the right wrist and bilateral hands was denied. A higher initial rating of 10 percent is granted for service-connected rheumatoid arthritis of the left wrist until January 16, 2017, but a higher rating is not warranted after that date.

Service connection is granted for hypertension. The Veteran developed hypertension in service and there is no evidence of pre-existing condition.,Service connection is denied for bilateral hearing loss as the Veteran does not meet the criteria for a disability based on current audiometric findings.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for hypertension, PTSD, depression, anxiety, and other psychiatric disabilities. The claims for bilateral wrist disability, breathing disability (including allergic rhinitis and sinusitis), vision loss disability, cervical spine disability, dizziness, sleep disability, degenerative arthritis, irritable bowel syndrome, peripheral neuropathy of the upper extremities, lower extremities, elbow disability, scoliosis, and traumatic brain injury are remanded for further development.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for right and left wrist carpal tunnel syndromes, as well as bilateral hearing loss, were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the severity of his conditions.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for an effective date prior to November 26, 2014 for the assignment of a 10 percent rating for his service-connected right wrist and right ankle disabilities.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for service connection for left wrist and little finger/hand disabilities due to incomplete examination records. The case will be returned for further evaluation.

The Veteran's left wrist condition was treated at a VA facility before seeking treatment at the MMC. The Board found that a VA medical facility would have been feasibly available for treatment prior to the visit to MMC, and an attempt to use one beforehand would not have been unreasonable.

The Veteran's TDIU claim is granted due to her service-connected right wrist tenosynovitis and depression preventing her from obtaining substantially gainful employment. The initial disability rating for the right wrist tenosynovitis remains at 10 percent.

The Veteran's TDIU claim is granted due to her service-connected right wrist tenosynovitis and depression preventing her from obtaining substantially gainful employment. The initial disability rating for the right wrist tenosynovitis remains at 10 percent.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to insufficient evidence, including military hospital records and post-service Army medical records.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for various disabilities, including right wrist, left knee, back, and bilateral ankle disabilities. The Veteran is to be provided with VA examinations to determine if these conditions are related to his military service.