Wrist & hand decisions — 2019

The Veteran's petition to reopen claims for right wrist condition, bilateral knee conditions, and acquired psychiatric disorder were denied. The cervical spine and thoracolumbar spine conditions are also denied.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, right shoulder disability, left wrist disability, and left elbow disability. The decision is mixed as some issues were granted while others were not.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for further development due to the need for additional medical examinations and opinions.,Specifically, the Veteran's bilateral shoulder and wrist disabilities, heart disability, severe headache disability, PTSD, anxiety disorder, and depressive disorder are being reviewed.

The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including left and right foot disabilities, hypertension, scars of the forehead and right wrist, chronic headaches, and sleep apnea. The claims were not reopened due to lack of new and material evidence.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for HPV was dismissed. The rating for tendonitis of the bilateral wrists remains noncompensable. Other claims are remanded.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been remanded due to incomplete STRs and the need for additional medical opinions regarding the etiology of his current conditions.

The Board denied service connection for carpal tunnel syndrome, finding that the evidence did not support a link to service or a service-connected disability.

The petition to reopen the claim of service connection for bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome is granted. The claims of service connection for hearing loss, tinnitus, and sinusitis are remanded.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been withdrawn. The Board has also remanded several issues related to his exposure at Camp Lejeune.

The Veteran's claim for a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss was denied. The Board found that the Veteran’s puretone threshold average and speech discrimination scores did not warrant a compensable disability rating. The claims for service connection of right and left upper extremity disabilities, to include carpal tunnel syndrome, were remanded due to insufficient evidence.

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings on multiple knee and wrist conditions have been dismissed due to the death of the Veteran.

The Veteran's service-connected obstructive sleep apnea is granted as secondary to his service-connected mental health and lumbar spine disabilities. From July 11, 2013, to February 20, 2014, the Veteran's depressive disorder was rated at 30 percent; from February 21, 2014, forward, it is rated at 10 percent.

The Veteran's claim for specially adapted housing or special home adaptation was remanded due to the lack of loss of use in either lower extremity. The effective date for increased rating Crohn's disease remains January 15, 2008.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for swelling and loss of use of left hand is granted, but the claim for status post carpal tunnel surgery, left hand remains denied.

The Veteran's PTSD is currently rated at 70 percent, effective June 6, 2016. The Board has remanded the case for further development and consideration of his TDIU claim due to his service-connected disabilities.

The Board has granted restoration of the 20 percent rating for left wrist disability, but has remanded several other claims due to new evidence and incomplete records.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a bilateral knee disability was granted, while the claim for left arm carpal tunnel condition was denied.

The Board has granted service connection for chronic migraine headaches, but denied service connection for the other conditions listed. The Veteran's hypertension and tinnitus were not shown as chronic in service or within a year of discharge.

The Veteran's appeal for a rating in excess of 10 percent for left ear hearing loss on an extraschedular basis was denied. The Board found that the functional effects of his hearing loss, including difficulty understanding instructions and directions at work, were contemplated by the schedular criteria.,The Veteran's claim for TDIU was also denied due to his failure to provide necessary information regarding his employment status.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for cervical spondylosis, Meniere’s disease, obstructive sleep apnea, red splotches on back of neck, left carpal tunnel syndrome, and right carpal tunnel syndrome due to insufficient evidence addressing all potential paths for service connection.