Wrist & hand decisions — 2019

The Board has remanded the claims for osteoarthritis of the hips, elbows, wrists, and shoulders, as well as the bilateral knee disability due to discrepancies in the medical evidence.

The Board has remanded the claims for right ankle and right wrist disabilities due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their relationship to service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not meet the criteria for special monthly compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1114(s) as he does not have a single 100% disability and is not permanently confined to his immediate premises due to his service-connected conditions.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for prostate cancer is denied. The Veteran's left wrist disability is granted a 20 percent evaluation, but not more.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a left wrist disability has been reopened, and his skin condition (pseudofolliculitis barbae) is granted. The Veteran's left wrist disability remains remanded due to the need for an examination.

The Board denied an extraschedular rating higher than 10 percent for the Veteran's right wrist synovitis with postoperative arthroplasty residuals prior to September 29, 2006.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including left knee and ankle conditions, have rendered him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment. The Board has granted a TDIU based on these disabilities.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a left knee disability, increased ratings for right and left wrist carpal tunnel syndrome, and service connection for radiculopathy of the lower extremities. The claims are being remanded to obtain additional medical evidence.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities result in the need for aid and assistance on a regular basis to feed himself, keep himself clean and presentable, and protect him from the hazards or dangers inherent in his daily environment. As such, the claim for SMC based on the need for aid and attendance is granted.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient examination and testing, requiring further action by VA.

The Board has remanded the case due to additional development being needed, including a VA examination and consideration of new evidence.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims due to the need for additional development, including new examinations and etiology opinions.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal for service connection of multiple conditions, including athletes foot, costochondritis, gastrointestinal disorders, left leg scars, bilateral knee, thoracolumbar spine, and right wrist disorders.

The Veteran has withdrawn her appeals for increased evaluations of various conditions, including right and left knee disabilities, right hand carpal tunnel syndrome, lower back strain, and acquired psychiatric disorders. The Board dismissed these appeals.

The Board has found that the Veteran's bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome is not secondary to his service-connected cervical spine condition and has remanded for further development regarding a respiratory condition.

The Veteran's TDIU claim is granted for the periods from September 2, 2011 to December 11, 2012, and from February 2, 2013 to December 3, 2016. The issue was dismissed prior to June 19, 2011 and from December 4, 2016.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for left ear hearing loss, right ear hearing loss, right wrist disability, and cervical spine disability as there is no evidence that these conditions began during or are otherwise related to his military service.

Service connection for left wrist condition is granted. The Veteran's initial noncompensable IBS rating does not reflect the severity of his symptomology and service connection for an acquired psychiatric condition to include PTSD, major depressive disorder, and anxiety is remanded.

The Board has remanded the claim for service connection for numbness of the hands and fingers (including bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome) due to new evidence obtained after the last Supplemental Statement of the Case. The RO is instructed to obtain VA treatment records from specific time periods, including those from Tampa VAMC and SSA medical records.

The Veteran's hypertension is being remanded due to the need for a medical examination. The claims for increased ratings of chronic headaches, relapse fever/night sweats, bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome, residual scars (due to removal of swollen lymph nodes), multiple joint pain, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, and blurred vision and twitching of the left eye are also being remanded due to the need for VA examinations.