Wrist & hand decisions — 2020

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for DJD of the SI joints with lumbar osteoporosis, right wrist scapholunate ligament tear, and DJD of the right hip have been denied as there is no evidence showing that any of these conditions warrant a rating in excess of their current 20 percent, 10 percent, and 10 percent ratings, respectively.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection and initial ratings have been dismissed due to the Veteran withdrawing their appeal prior to a decision being made.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for additional development, including obtaining a VA examination to determine if his current right ankle impairment is related to his in-service injury and whether his service-connected right foot disorder caused or aggravated this right ankle impairment.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection for various disabilities, including shoulder, right wrist, bilateral knee, shin splints, ankle, foot (pes planus), bronchitis, onychomycosis, and hearing loss have been dismissed. The Board has also remanded the issues of service connection for lumbar spine disability, headache disability, and PTSD.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for service connection for right wrist and thumb disabilities due to inadequate compliance with prior remand instructions.

The Veteran's dystrophy of the great toenails was denied as it did not meet the criteria for a higher rating.,Service connection for left knee disability is remanded due to potential secondary service connection, and service connection for skin disability of the hands (formerly claimed as lesion on right wrist) is also remanded.

The Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus have been denied as there is no evidence of a current disability.,Service connection for left wrist fracture residuals with DJD has been denied. The Veteran does not have ankylosis, which would warrant a higher rating.,Prior to June 20, 2017, the Veteran's service-connected left CTS was rated at 10 percent based on mild incomplete paralysis of the median nerve. As of June 20, 2017, the condition has been rated as severe incomplete paralysis due to symptoms such as loss of reflexes and muscle atrophy.,The Veteran's residual linear and nonlinear scars have not met the criteria for a compensable rating based on pain or instability.

The Board has ordered a remand for new examinations to assess the current severity of the Veteran's right wrist carpal tunnel syndrome and degenerative joint disease, as recent examinations were performed in October and November 2014.

The Veteran's claims for stomach condition and severe cramps, chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), joint pain, muscle pain, gastroesophageal reflux disorder (GERD), obstructive sleep apnea, left eye condition, unspecified depressive disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and tension headaches have been denied.,The Veteran's claims for stomach condition and severe cramps are denied as the evidence does not show a separate and distinct disability from his service-connected irritable bowel syndrome.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to missing VA treatment records and requests for additional information from the appellant.

The Board has remanded the case due to a lack of service treatment records and an incomplete examination. The Veteran's right wrist carpal tunnel syndrome is being reviewed for possible connection to his military service.

The Board denied service connection for left ankle and right wrist disabilities, as well as a rating in excess of 10 percent for a left knee disability. The effective date for the compensable rating for the left knee disability was set at October 2, 2017.,There is insufficient evidence to establish that the Veteran's current left ankle or right wrist conditions are related to his period of service.

The Board denied service connection for a sleep disorder, finding that the Veteran's symptoms were related to his service-connected right wrist and hand disabilities. The TDIU claim was also denied.

The Veteran's service-connected flexor tendonitis of the right wrist does not prevent her from obtaining or maintaining a substantially gainful employment, and thus she is not entitled to a TDIU.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection on the merits has been remanded due to insufficient evidence and need for additional examinations.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to an inadequate medical opinion in a previous decision, and needs further examination and opinion regarding the Veteran's carpal tunnel syndrome.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for right shoulder and right wrist disorders, as well as her claim for migraine headaches due to or aggravated by PTSD. The CFS claim is also remanded.,Service connection was not granted for any of the conditions due to lack of evidence linking them to service or a service-connected disability.

The Veteran's appeal for a higher rating for left knee DJD and TDIU was denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating for left knee DJD, as it did not meet the criteria for a rating in excess of 10 percent under DCs 5260-5262. For TDIU, the Veteran's combined disability rating is 80%, and he has met the schedular requirements since October 2011. However, there was no evidence showing that his service-connected disabilities have precluded him from gainful employment.

The Veteran's claim for TDIU was denied as he did not meet the schedular criteria and there is no evidence of unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for gastrointestinal symptoms due to Gulf War Syndrome has been dismissed.,Service connection has been granted for a right knee condition and bilateral wrist tendonitis.