Wrist & hand decisions — 2019

The Veteran's right ankle disability is currently rated at 10 percent, and the Board finds no basis to grant a higher rating.,Service connection for a pulmonary condition (chronic pneumonia) has not been established as there is insufficient evidence linking it to service.,Service connection for a bilateral arm condition has also not been established due to lack of evidence connecting it to service.

The Veteran's claim for PTSD is reopened, but service connection remains denied. The Board has ordered additional development to verify the in-service stressor of abuse and beatings during basic training and AIT. Service connection for chronic pain and an acquired psychiatric disability other than PTSD are also remanded.

The Veteran's right wrist disability is rated at 40 percent, but not higher. The case has been remanded for further development regarding TDIU.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities prior to May 29, 2014 did not preclude him from performing gainful employment for which his education and occupational experience otherwise qualify him.

The Veteran has withdrawn their appeals for a compensable rating for hallux valgus of the left foot and service connection for carpal tunnel syndrome, bilateral upper extremities.

The Board has remanded the cases for additional development due to inadequate medical opinions. The Veteran's service connection claims will be reconsidered based on new evidence and analysis.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss, right knee disability, and right elbow disability. The Veteran's current diagnoses were not related to his military service.

The Veteran's medical expenses at St. Francis Medical Center on September 7, 2013 are approved as the condition was an emergent situation and VA facilities were not feasibly available.

The Veteran's appeal includes multiple issues related to his PTSD, traumatic amputation of the right middle finger, chronic fatigue syndrome, and various musculoskeletal conditions. The Board has determined that further examination is needed for all these claims due to the lack of recent examinations addressing current severity.

The Board denied service connection for OSA and Right Hand/Wrist Disorder, finding no evidence to support the claims.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a left wrist disability, finding that there was no evidence of chronicity of care or treatment for a left wrist disorder in-service and concluding that the onset of the Veteran’s left wrist disorder is less likely than not related to an injury, event, or occurrence in-service.

Service connection for patellofemoral pain syndrome of the right and left knees, as well as carpal tunnel syndrome of the left hand, has been granted.,The Veteran's service connection claims have been successfully reopened and are now being considered on their merits.

The Veteran meets the schedular criteria for TDIU due to his service-connected disabilities, which have rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation.

The Board has remanded the claim for service connection of right-hand carpal tunnel syndrome due to a disagreement with the prior denial. The case is being sent back for an addendum opinion regarding whether the Veteran's Dupuytren's contracture might be either the cause or aggravation of his carpal tunnel syndrome.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for further development, including obtaining medical opinions regarding the nature and etiology of his service-connected disabilities and their impact on his other conditions.

The Veteran's petition to reopen the claim for service connection of neuro damage of the right hand was granted. The claims for secondary service connection for cervicothoracic spine disorder, headache disorder, and neurological disorders of the right shoulder and wrist are remanded.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's right wrist strain is service-connected, but has remanded the issue of tinnitus due to insufficient evidence.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome, bilateral ulnar neuropathy, and cervical spine disability due to additional development being needed.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection have been denied. The broken right wrist is rated at 10 percent, while the traumatic scar laceration incomplete amputation of the right middle finger remains at a 10 percent rating.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for asthma and left hand/wrist disability due to the need for additional evidence, including VA medical examinations.