Wrist & hand decisions — 2020

The Board has denied service connection for headaches, left and right hand nerve damage (carpal tunnel syndrome), bilateral pes planus, and a foot disorder other than pes planus. The case is remanded for further development.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings are remanded due to the need for further evaluation and consideration of his service-connected conditions.

The Veteran's right and left knee disabilities were denied increased ratings, with the case being remanded for further examination.,Service connection for a left wrist condition (claimed as cyst/benign growth) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) was also remanded.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional examinations and opinions regarding his acquired psychiatric disorder, memory loss, sleep disorder, and bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome. The claims will be reviewed on their merits.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions due to lack of evidence showing a link between her current disabilities and her military service. The appeals were remanded for further development.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for left wrist disability, finding that there was no evidence to support a nexus between his current condition and an in-service injury.

The Board has reopened the claim of service connection for right wrist TFCC tear and remanded it due to insufficient evidence on its etiology.

Service connection for left and right carpal tunnel syndrome has been granted.,The claim for service connection for a respiratory disorder due to asbestos exposure is being remanded.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD and other conditions, have rendered him unemployable since December 2, 1996. The decision grants a TDIU on an extraschedular basis for this period.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and increased rating for his back disability are being remanded due to the need for additional medical examinations.,The Veteran is also seeking service connection for a generalized joint disability, including pain related to multiple joints.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to missing service treatment records and a need to issue a Statement of the Case.

The Veteran seeks service connection for a left wrist disorder, claimed as tendonitis. The Board denied this claim due to lack of evidence showing the condition was incurred or aggravated during active duty.,The Veteran also sought an earlier effective date for his service connection for scars on the head and right side of the head. The Board found that no prior communication could be interpreted as a formal claim, and thus denied the request for an earlier effective date.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for a stomach and/or gastrointestinal disability, including as secondary to service-connected somatic symptom disorder and residuals of a traumatic brain injury (TBI), and for a right wrist disability, including as secondary to service-connected somatic symptom disorder and residuals of a traumatic brain injury (TBI).

The Board has granted service connection for right and left knee osteoarthritis, right and left knee strain, residuals of right wrist fracture, and residuals of right elbow chip fracture on a secondary basis to the Veteran's service-connected left ankle disability. The Veteran is also awarded a 10 percent rating for his left ankle strain with chronic synovitis.

The Veteran was granted a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) from May 1, 2014 to August 1, 2016 due to his service-connected disabilities that precluded substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for right carpal tunnel syndrome and left carpal tunnel syndrome was denied as there is no evidence of such conditions during the pendency of her claims.,Her claim for migraine headaches resulted in a maximum schedular rating (50%) but the Veteran argued for an extraschedular evaluation due to severe economic inadaptability. The Board found that while she experienced frequent and prostrating attacks, there was no evidence indicating she could not secure or follow substantially gainful employment.

The Board has remanded the case due to a need for additional medical opinions regarding whether any neurological disability of the left wrist is aggravated by service-connected left wrist arthritis.

The Veteran was granted TDIU prior to September 16, 2015 due to his service-connected disabilities. However, he is not entitled to TDIU on or after that date as his combined evaluation has reached 100 percent and there are no other service-connected disabilities rated at 60 percent or higher.

The Board has determined that there is not sufficient evidence to support the Veteran's claims for service connection of bilateral wrist, eye, and migraine headaches disabilities. The cases are being remanded for further development regarding his knee, spine, toe frostbite, and chest pain issues.

The Veteran's initial claim for a higher rating for his right wrist disability has been denied by the Board of Veterans' Appeals. The highest available schedular rating based on limited motion of the right wrist is currently assigned, and ankylosis of the wrist is not present.