Wrist & hand decisions — 2019

The Veteran's hypertension is remanded for a determination on whether it is related to his presumed herbicide exposure or service-connected PTSD. The Board also granted TDIU based on the Veteran's service-connected disabilities.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding service connection for a right wrist disorder including CTS and an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for tinea versicolor. The Veteran's claims are pending.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have prevented her from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation, and the Board has granted total disability rating based on individual unemployability.

The Veteran's claims for a separate initial compensable rating for ischemic changes of the brain, service connection for right knee disability, bilateral shoulder disabilities, right wrist DJD and CTS disabilities, and headache disability are all remanded due to insufficient evidence.,VA examinations are needed in order to address the Veteran's assertions regarding his in-service falls and subsequent falls after separation.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's claims for an increased rating for right wrist degenerative arthritis with limited motion, status post lunate replacement and a TDIU prior to May 17, 2019 need further development. The case is being sent back to the agency of jurisdiction for additional evaluations.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for residuals right wrist fracture, migraine headaches, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), and hypertension due to potential preexisting conditions and need for additional medical opinions.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for left wrist and shoulder disabilities due to inadequate factual bases in a previous VA examination.

The Veteran's service connection claim for residuals, status post reduction mammoplasty (including breast numbness) is granted. The Board also remanded the claims for left wrist disability, low back disability, neck disability, and migraine headaches.

The Veteran's lumbosacral strain was rated at 20 percent effective July 23, 2019. The right carpal tunnel syndrome remains rated at 10 percent.,Issues related to service connection for unspecified trauma and stressor-related disorder, miscarriage residuals, hernia surgery residuals, generalized anxiety disorder, left carpal tunnel syndrome, and bilateral plantar fascitis with pes planus are all remanded.

The Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss, lumbar spine disability, TMJ disorder, right wrist disability, fatigue, nausea, and weight instability have been denied. The Board found no new and material evidence to reopen these claims.,Service connection was not established for any of the conditions listed due to lack of in-service diagnosis or continuity of symptomatology.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral arm and hand conditions, including rheumatoid arthritis affecting the shoulders, hands, and wrists, as they are not related to service or secondary to a service-connected condition.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a right wrist disability and TMJ disorder, finding that there is no causal relationship between these conditions and her active service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for low back and left wrist conditions due to outstanding VA records, including SSA disability benefits records. The claims are also remanded for additional medical examinations.

The Board has granted service connection for left wrist sprain with partial thickness tear of the dorsal band, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), and an undiagnosed illness manifested by right hip pain, left hip pain, shortness of breath on exertion, vasovagal syncope, abdominal pain, constipation, diarrhea, and blood in stools. The Veteran's cervical strain and lumbar strain with degenerative arthritis and spondylolysis without myelopathy are remanded for further examination.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for service connection due to outstanding records not being obtained. The Veteran is asked to authorize release of his treatment records from Wright-Patterson AFB and Castle AFB, and VA will attempt to obtain these records.

The Board has granted the Veteran's requests to reopen his service connection claims for major depressive disorder, migraine headaches, sleep apnea, bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome, and low back disability. The appeals are now on their merits.

The Veteran's service-connected right wrist disability is currently rated as 40 percent disabling. The Board finds a need for additional examination to assess the current severity of her right wrist disability and whether she has muscle atrophy of the right forearm, which may be related to her service-connected condition. The issues of entitlement to higher ratings and secondary service connection are remanded.

The Board denied service connection for corneal scars and granted a 10 percent rating for residuals of a left wrist fracture with wrist strain.,The Board denied an initial compensable rating for superficial and nonlinear scars on the left leg from March 1, 2014 to May 29, 2018, a compensable rating for deep, nonlinear scar of the left lower extremity from May 29, 2018, and a compensable rating for superficial linear scars of the left lower extremity from May 29, 2018.,The Board denied an initial rating greater than 10 percent for painful scarring of the left lower extremity.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for further development due to inadequate VA examinations and medical opinions. The issues of service connection for left wrist disability, right knee disability, and initial rating for low back pain and bulging disc with foraminal stenosis, lumbar spine are all being remanded.

The Board has remanded several claims for further development due to the submission of new medical evidence, including VA treatment records and private treatment records. The Veteran is seeking service connection for various conditions such as amenorrhea, polycystic ovarian syndrome, a bilateral breast disability, acne, back disability, right knee disability, right ear disability, and right wrist disability.