Wrist & hand decisions — 2020

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to insufficient evidence and inadequate medical opinions. The AOJ is required to obtain relevant medical records from military hospitals in Germany, as well as VA treatment records. A new VA opinion is needed to address the Veteran's lay statements regarding post-service treatment and symptoms.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for additional development due to failure to report for scheduled VA examinations. The issues of service connection for various disabilities are now pending.

The Board has granted service connection for right hip, left hip, right elbow, left elbow, and left wrist disabilities. Service connection for chronic sinusitis is also granted.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right wrist disability is not service-connected as it is not related to his active duty service, and there is no evidence of continuity of symptomatology since service. The Board also found that the current arthritis is not aggravated by his service-connected right elbow strain and residuals of ulnar nerve transposition.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral wrist disabilities, low back condition, and a rating in excess of 10 percent for mild patellofemoral degenerative joint disease of the right knee. The Veteran's current ratings are based on symptomatic residuals from semilunar cartilage removal performed during service.

The Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral wrist condition, left shoulder condition, and right shoulder condition are remanded due to the need for additional medical examinations and opinions.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for payment or reimbursement of unauthorized medical expenses incurred during a non-VA hospitalization at Kaweah Delta Medical Center on June 26, 2017. The decision states that VA facilities were feasibly available and an attempt to use them beforehand would have been considered reasonable by a prudent layperson.

The Board has remanded the case due to deficiencies in the July 2019 examiner's opinion, specifically regarding secondary service connection for wrist disabilities and aggravation of pre-existing conditions.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hand osteoarthritis is granted. The claim for rheumatoid arthritis in the upper extremities (specifically wrists) is denied.

The Veteran's right carpal tunnel syndrome is rated at 30% since the entire period on appeal. The Veteran's degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine (back disability) was initially rated at 40%, effective October 8, 2019 and denied for evaluation in excess of 40%. He also has hypertension which is rated at 10%.,The Veteran meets the criteria for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to his service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's migraines, right wrist strain, and MDD have been granted initial ratings. GERD has also been granted an initial rating, but the effective date is denied.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and TDIU are being remanded due to the need for extraschedular consideration of her service-connected cervical spine disability, left upper extremity radiculopathy, and right upper extremity radiculopathy with carpal tunnel syndrome.

The Veteran's asthma with bronchitis claim is denied as the evidence does not show that her FEV-1 or FEV-1/FVC levels meet the criteria for a disability rating in excess of 30 percent.,The Veteran's bilateral hip and knee disabilities are remanded due to insufficient evidence to determine their etiology.

The Board denied service connection for cervical spine condition, lumbar radiculopathy, and carpal tunnel syndrome as they are not causally or etiologically related to any disease, injury, or incident in service.

The Veteran's right ankle disorder, manifested by pain, is granted as service-connected.,Service connection for a left knee condition and a right knee condition are granted as secondary to service-connected hallux rigidus of the right great toe and right ankle disorder.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for degenerative arthritis, thoracolumbar spine, secondary to cervical spine degenerative joint disease has been dismissed as the claim is not before the Board. The appeals for bilateral hand and wrist condition and bilateral foot and ankle condition are remanded.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected right wrist fracture and right shoulder strain are being remanded due to the inadequacy of the most recent VA examination.,The Board found that the August 2017 VA examination was insufficient under Correia v. McDonald, 28 Vet. App. 158 (2016), and thus these claims must be returned for further development.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for endometriosis, sterility, and bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome as there is no evidence showing that these conditions manifested during her military service or are otherwise related to her service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for various shoulder, knee, and wrist disorders as secondary to his service-connected bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy. The Board found no in-service right hip injury or disease, and that the current right hip disorder is not related to active service. For the other conditions, the Board found insufficient evidence to support a finding of secondary service connection.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral lower extremity and upper extremity neuropathy, finding no evidence of such conditions in service or within one year post-service. The Veteran's claims were based on presumed exposure to herbicides, but the Board found insufficient evidence that his current symptoms are related to this exposure.