Wrist & hand decisions — 2019

The Board has denied service connection for hypertension, diabetes mellitus, sleep apnea, right wrist ganglion cyst, and left wrist ganglion cyst as there is no evidence of in-service injury or disease related to these conditions. The Veteran's claims are remanded for a VA examination to determine the etiology of his back disability.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including arthritis in his hands and fingers, a psychiatric disorder, arthritis of his hips, cervical spine, left knee, wrists, and right knee. The issues of arthritis of the bilateral hips, cervical spine, left knee, and bilateral wrists have been remanded due to insufficient medical opinions. The issue of hypertension has also been remanded for further examination.

The Veteran's cause of death was a gunshot wound to the head. The Board found that his service-connected disabilities did not contribute substantially or materially to his death, and he did not meet the criteria for DIC benefits under 38 U.S.C. § 1318.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for a bilateral hand/wrist disability and a psychiatric disability due to incomplete records from the Tampa VAMC. The Veteran is asked to provide additional records, including those from the Tampa VAMC, and an addendum opinion will be requested.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claims for service connection for right hip, left hip, and left wrist disabilities. The claims are remanded to allow for further development of evidence.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including TBI residuals, PTSD, hearing loss, ocular migraine headaches, cervical spine disability, skin cancer, and others, were denied as the evidence did not support a causal relationship between these conditions and her military service.

The Veteran's right hand disability, including arthritis and carpal tunnel syndrome, may have developed after service. The Board has ordered further examination to determine the etiology of these conditions.

The Board has granted service connection for a low back disability and remanded the right wrist disability claim. The left wrist disability claim was denied.

The Veteran's injuries were related to his service-connected PTSD and the medical emergency was deemed hazardous, warranting payment for unauthorized medical expenses incurred at St. John’s Medical Center in Longview, Washington from February 20, 1999 to February 23, 1999.

The Board denied service connection for a back disorder, hypertension, hyperlipidemia (claimed as high cholesterol), carpal tunnel syndrome of the right hand and left hand. The reasons provided were that there was no evidence linking these conditions to service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for various disorders, including right shoulder disorder, left wrist disorder, right wrist disorder, back disorder, right hip disorder, left hip disorder, right ankle disorder, left foot disorder, and right foot disorder are all denied as there is no evidence of a current disability or a link to service.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for costochondritis is also denied due to lack of objective medical evidence.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for carpal tunnel syndrome, increased ratings for degenerative joint disease of the right knee and lumbar spine, and a compensable disability rating for bilateral hearing loss. The Veteran was assigned a 20% disability rating for his degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for right knee, left wrist, and right wrist DJD have been reopened. Service connection is granted for right knee DJD, status post total knee arthroplasty, and bilateral wrist DJD as secondary to the use of crutches for service-connected knee disabilities.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for right elbow gout with arthritis and limitation of flexion, right shoulder gout, and right wrist gout have been denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on limitation of motion.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for sleep apnea and bilateral wrist disability (including carpal tunnel syndrome) due to insufficient evidence, including a lack of current medical records.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected degenerative joint disease with status-post right wrist injury and right wrist scar were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a rating in excess of 10 percent for either condition.

The Veteran's service connection claim for Lyme disease was denied as there is no evidence of current disability.,Initial ratings for left and right wrist tendinitis were granted at 10% each, effective from the date of the decision.

All claims for service connection have been dismissed due to the Veteran's withdrawal of his appeals.

The Veteran's claims for various disabilities, including sleep disorder, respiratory disorder, acne scar disability, right shoulder disability, thoracolumbar spine (back) disability, left and right wrist disabilities, left and right knee disabilities, shin splints, and ankle disabilities have been denied as there is no current diagnosis of any of these conditions.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and effective dates are being remanded due to the need for additional development of evidence.