Wrist & hand decisions — 2018

The Board has remanded the cases for additional development and opinion regarding service connection for left wrist, left hand, and sinus disorders.

The Board denied service connection for obesity (claimed as weight problems) due to the lack of a disability for which service connection can be granted.,Service connection was also denied for right hand disorder, right shoulder disorder, left knee disorder, and right knee disorder. The Board found no evidence of an in-service injury or disease that led to these conditions.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to clarify the Veteran's periods of active service and to obtain any outstanding military personnel records. The Veteran also needs VA examinations for his claimed disabilities, including neck disability, left foot disability, right foot disability, left shoulder disability, right shoulder disability, left wrist disability, right wrist disability, bilateral hearing loss disability, chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), and acquired psychiatric disability.

The Veteran's claimed disabilities are denied as they do not meet the criteria for compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 due to lack of additional disability resulting from a fall at the VA Medical Center in July 2011.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient examination reports and lack of consideration of his in-service injury. The Veteran is seeking service connection for various hand, wrist, shoulder, and arm conditions.

The Board denied service connection for various conditions including right elbow ulnar neuritis, left carpal tunnel syndrome, and right carpal tunnel syndrome. The decision concluded that the evidence did not support a finding of an in-service injury or disease related to these conditions.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's right wrist condition and its relation to service.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for right upper extremity nerve disorder and bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy due to insufficient opinions regarding the etiology of these conditions.

The Veteran's claim for carpal tunnel syndrome of the bilateral hands is dismissed as he withdrew it.,Service connection granted for unspecified trauma/stressor-related disorder. The Board found that his current diagnosis is related to in-service experiences and denied service connection for coronary artery disease, diabetes mellitus, type II, peripheral neuropathy of the upper extremities, and lower extremities due to lack of evidence of herbicide exposure.,Service connection denied for coronary artery disease, diabetes mellitus, type II with peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral lower extremities, and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper extremities. The Veteran's service in Okinawa did not meet criteria for presumptive service connection due to herbicide exposure.

The Veteran's right hallux valgus, left carpal tunnel syndrome, and right carpal tunnel syndrome disabilities are being remanded for further evaluation due to recent reports of worsening symptoms. The Veteran needs a new VA examination to assess the current severity of her disabilities.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been remanded due to the need for additional medical examinations and opinions. The issues include bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, shin splints, shoulder disorders, frostbite, psychiatric conditions, traumatic brain injury, headaches, wrist, hip, ankle, knee, elbow, little finger, plantar fasciitis, joint pain, back pain, neck pain, erectile dysfunction, sleep apnea, skin disorder, and eye problems.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability and a rating in excess of 20 percent for his left wrist disability. The appeal regarding TDIU is also denied.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and restoration of ratings for his service-connected lumbar spine, right shoulder, and left wrist disabilities are being remanded due to the need for additional development including obtaining updated VA treatment records and conducting new examinations.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a left pinky finger disability is denied as there is no current diagnosis of such condition.,A rating of 10 percent, but no higher, has been granted for the Veteran's residuals of a right index finger fracture.

The Board has granted service connection for left upper extremity carpal tunnel syndrome and remanded the issue of service connection for right shoulder condition.

The Board denied service connection for left and right wrist disorders, as well as left and right ankle disorders. The VA medical examiner found no diagnosed disability for either the wrists or ankles.

The Veteran's claims for higher ratings for asbestosis, bronchitis, reactive airway disease, and coronary artery disease were denied. The TDIU claim was also denied.

The Veteran's tinnitus is granted as secondary to her service-connected cervical spondylosis. The Board has remanded the cases for further development and examination regarding brain demyelination, hearing loss, numbness and pain claimed as carpal tunnel syndrome of the left and right arms, increased ratings for cervical spondylosis and lumbosacral strain.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to unavailability of her service treatment records. The Veteran is required to undergo VA examinations to determine if any of her claimed conditions are related to her military service.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for a right leg disability and residuals of a right hand laceration due to an inaccurate factual premise in the June 2018 VA examiner's opinion. A new VA medical opinion is required considering all relevant evidence.