Wrist & hand decisions — 2018

The Board has determined that further development is needed to clarify the appellant's service connection claims, including obtaining her complete military personnel records and any relevant medical records.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development of his claims, including obtaining medical records and scheduling examinations to assess the severity of his right wrist disability and any dental disorder.

The Veteran's appeal has been dismissed due to his death. The Board cannot proceed with the merits of this case as he is no longer alive.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus, hearing loss, benign tumors (fatty tumors), a seizure disorder, and a bilateral upper extremity disorder. However, the claim for residuals of an asserted in-service traumatic brain injury with migraine headaches and a seizure disorder is denied as there is no evidence showing that these conditions are related to service.

The Veteran's service-connected bipolar disorder has prevented him from securing and following substantially gainful employment since 2014, meeting the criteria for a TDIU.

The Board found that the Veteran's right shoulder disability was not proximately due to or aggravated by his service-connected right wrist disability. The rating for his right wrist disability, which had been reduced from 40% to 30%, was restored as it did not meet the criteria for a higher rating.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining medical opinions and expanding the claims file with any outstanding records of VA treatment. The Veteran's service connection claims will be reconsidered based on the new evidence.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current traumatic arthritis of the right wrist began during his active military service and is granted service connection for this condition. The issue of entitlement to service connection for degenerative joint disease, generalized, claimed a joint pain due an undiagnosed illness remains pending.

The Veteran's left wrist disability is found to be aggravated by his service-connected bilateral knee disabilities. His right knee disability has been rated as 20 percent disabling prior to February 6, 2016.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities may render him unable to secure and follow substantially gainful employment, and his TDIU claim is remanded for further consideration.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral wrist disability and obstructive sleep apnea are related to his active service, granting service connection for both conditions.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current left wrist strain is not related to service and therefore denied his claim for service connection.

The Veteran has withdrawn her appeals for the issues of service connection for right wrist, cervical spine, lumbar spine, and right knee disabilities. The Board does not have jurisdiction to review these appeal.

The Veteran's current migraine headaches are etiologically related to an in-service injury, specifically a blast exposure during deployment to Iraq. The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's headache disability.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus, PTSD with depression and anxiety, GERD, and an acquired psychiatric disorder. The claim for left wrist disability is pending as it requires further examination.

The Veteran's service connection claim for chronic right wrist sprain and right wrist osteoarthritis was granted. The claims for ankle, knee, and left shoulder disabilities were not addressed due to lack of diagnosed conditions.

The Board found that the Veteran's current left wrist condition is not related to his active duty service and denied his claim for service connection.

The Veteran's right wrist disability, characterized by painful limitation of motion and osteoarthritis, is currently rated at the maximum allowable under Diagnostic Code 5215. The Board finds no basis to grant a higher rating as ankylosis or other symptoms not related to limitation of motion are not present.

The Veteran's service-connected diabetes mellitus is found to have aggravated his currently diagnosed neurological disability of the bilateral upper extremities, including carpal tunnel syndrome and peripheral neuropathy. As such, the Board grants service connection for these disabilities.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for his service-connected low back disorder and TDIU rating were both denied by the Board.