Wrist & hand decisions — 2019

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for further development due to inadequate or incomplete examination reports and other procedural issues.

The Board dismissed the Veteran's petitions to reopen previously denied claims for various conditions, as he did not timely file a substantive appeal within the required time frame.

The Board has determined that additional development is necessary to properly adjudicate the Veteran's claims for service connection. The RO must obtain updated VA treatment records from various facilities and associate them with the claims file.

The Board denied service connection for right carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) and remanded the issue of earlier effective date for total disability individual unemployability (TDIU) on an extra-schedular basis due to service-connected disabilities prior to April 6, 2010.

The Board has remanded the claims for high cholesterol, PTSD, left carpal tunnel syndrome, scar from cesarean sections, hysterectomy, left oophorectomy, tinnitus, pelvic pain after childbirth, right shoulder dislocation, rhinitis and sinusitis (claimed as allergies), bilateral plantar fasciitis, hypertension, eczema, lumbar spine arthritis, cervical spine arthritis, right carpal tunnel syndrome, and severe alopecia (claimed as cicatrical scarring alopecia) for additional development to verify service records.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have resulted in a permanent and total disability that precludes locomotion without the aid of assistive devices, such as a wheelchair or cane. The Board has granted specially adapted housing for this reason.

The Veteran's appeal for a rating in excess of 40 percent for degenerative disc disease, lumbar spine has been dismissed.,The Veteran's appeal for limitation of motion for right wrist has been dismissed.,The Veteran's appeals for service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus have been dismissed.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claim for left hand carpal tunnel syndrome due to insufficient evidence regarding its onset and relationship to service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a right wrist disability, finding that his disability was not incurred in or aggravated by military service due to willful misconduct.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not prevent him from finding and following substantially gainful employment.

The Board has remanded several claims for service connection due to the need for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling VA examinations.

The Veteran's allergic rhinitis is not compensable as there are no polyps or significant nasal obstruction.,Bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome was not incurred during service and is not related to any in-service injury, event, or disease. The condition began many years after separation from active duty.,Obstructive sleep apnea was not diagnosed during service and the Veteran did not have a CPAP machine prescribed for this condition while on active duty.,Diabetic nephropathy with hypertension is not considered to be proximately due to, the result of, or aggravated beyond its natural progression by service-connected disability. The Veteran does not meet the requirement of presumed herbicide exposure as per 38 C.F.R. § 3.309(e).,Bilateral lower extremity peripheral neuropathy is not considered to be proximately due to, the result of, or aggravated beyond its natural progression by service-connected disability.,Bilateral upper extremity peripheral neuropathy is not considered to be proximately due to, the result of, or aggravated beyond its natural progression by service-connected disability.

The Veteran's claims for service connection of a right wrist condition and throat condition are being remanded due to the submission of new evidence.,The claim for secondary service connection of a deviated septum is also being remanded.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for arthritis of various joints, all secondary to his service-connected psoriasis. The appeals are remanded for further development regarding an increased rating for psoriasis.

The rating for bilateral hearing loss was improperly reduced, and the original 50% rating is restored. The right hand/wrist disability claim has been remanded due to insufficient evidence.

The Board denied the Veteran's request for additional vocational rehabilitation and employment benefits, including a change in his long-range goal to obtain a master’s degree in Physics. The decision concluded that achieving maximum rehabilitation gain (MRG) had been met and that changing the long-range goal would not be more likely to improve his situation.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss, left wrist disability, and respiratory disability (claimed as COPD) due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to service.

The Board has denied service connection for carpal tunnel syndrome of both the right and left upper extremities, finding that there is no evidence to support a link between these conditions and active duty service.

The Veteran's tinnitus is granted as service-connected.,A 10% rating for the right wrist disability from December 2, 2012 is granted. The Veteran also has two painful scars of the right knee that are rated at 10%. However, a higher rating for the right wrist disability remains pending due to additional issues needing clarification.