Wrist & hand decisions — 2020

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's current right wrist disability is related to his service injury. The case will be reviewed with new evidence and a fresh medical opinion.

The Board has granted service connection for a right hand disability and right wrist disability (claimed as right hand disability), other than mallet finger, little finger.,Service connection was also granted for left ear hearing loss.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding whether the Veteran's right arm disability, initially claimed as carpal tunnel syndrome, is related to service. The Veteran testified about his symptoms and treatment during service and post-service.

The Board has granted a TDIU effective May 31, 2017, finding that the Veteran's service-connected disabilities prevented him from securing or following gainful employment.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him unable to obtain or maintain substantially gainful employment, and his TDIU appeal is denied.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for service connection due to incomplete records and inadequate VA examinations. The case will be returned for further development, including obtaining missing service treatment records and providing new examinations.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for various right-hand disabilities due to a lack of VA examinations. The Veteran was not given sufficient time to attend the scheduled examinations, and his service-connected conditions are related to his military service.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's left wrist degenerative arthritis, finding that it is a separate and distinct disability from his partial finger amputations. The Board determined that the current left wrist symptoms are secondary to his in-service amputations.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for sleep apnea and a compensable disability rating for left wrist ganglion cyst due to inadequate reasons and bases in the previous decisions, specifically regarding the need for new VA examinations.

The Veteran's tinnitus is granted as service connected due to in-service noise exposure. Service connection for testicular cancer is also granted based on presumed exposure at Camp Lejeune. The remaining claims are denied.

The Board has denied service connection for kidney disease and gum disease, and has remanded the claims for degenerative arthritis of the right knee, shortening of the right leg, carpal tunnel syndrome of the right hand and wrist, and arthritis of the right wrist.

The Board has remanded the case due to conflicting opinions regarding whether the Veteran's carpal tunnel syndrome had its clinical onset during service. The claim will be reviewed with a new VA opinion.

The Board has remanded the cases due to inadequate examination findings and missing medical records. The Veteran's cervical spine, left wrist, left ankle, and right ankle disabilities are all rated at 10 percent.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation, and his appeal for TDIU, including on an extraschedular basis, is denied.

The Board has dismissed the Veteran's appeals for service connection for residuals of a left wrist fracture, residuals of a right collarbone fracture, and a compensable rating for hypertension prior to April 4, 2016, and in excess of 10 percent disabling thereafter. The appeal regarding service connection for residuals of a left collarbone fracture is remanded.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient development and lack of proper medical opinions regarding the Veteran's right hand/wrist arthritis and right wrist cyst.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection and increased ratings have been dismissed as he has withdrawn his claims. The Board has also remanded several issues related to hypertension, left knee condition, osteomalacia of the right knee, multidirectional instability of the left shoulder, and chronic sprain of the right knee.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims of service connection for low back and right wrist conditions due to outstanding records, including private treatment records and Social Security Administration (SSA) records. The Board also ordered a new etiological opinion on both issues.

Your appeal has been dismissed due to an administrative error at VA, where the same set of issues were docketed twice - once under the AMA system and once in the Legacy appeal system. The issues in the Legacy appeal system are now dismissed.

The claim for service connection of a right foot condition, left shoulder condition, and right wrist condition has been reopened. Service connection is granted for the right foot condition.