Wrist & hand decisions — 2020

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hand/wrist disability and bilateral eye disability, finding that there is no direct or secondary evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Board denied service connection for arthritis of the right wrist and hand, arthritis of the left wrist and hand, and a musculoskeletal disability other than elbows, wrists, arms, hands, shoulders or cervical spine due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to service.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding whether the Veteran's bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome is related to his service or if it was caused by his service-connected diabetes.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for carpal tunnel syndrome of the right wrist and left wrist have been denied as there is no evidence that these conditions are related to his military service.,Service connection has also been denied for a low back disability, with the rating assigned being less than what the Veteran requested.

The Board has remanded several claims for further development and consideration, including service connection for various injuries and disabilities. The Veteran's claims are related to his military service but require additional medical examinations and evidence.

The Board has decided to remand the cases for further action due to procedural issues and the need for VA examinations.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection and rating determinations due to the Veteran's failure to report for a VA examination. The claims are not decided at this time.

Service connection for PTSD, left hand laceration scar, and right leg cancer has been granted. Service connection for TBI, right eye laceration scar, and left shoulder disability (impingement syndrome) is remanded.,Service connection for bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome and right shoulder disability (tendinopathy changes of the supraspinatus) is denied.

The Board denied service connection for peripheral neuropathy in the upper extremities and a TDIU determination. The Veteran's claim was based on his contention that he developed these conditions during service, but the evidence did not support this claim.

The Board denied reopening of claims for service connection for various disabilities, including right hip, low back, right shoulder, left wrist tumor, bilateral knee conditions, and inguinal hernia disabilities. The evidence submitted did not raise a reasonable possibility of substantiating the claims.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for cervical strain, left elbow ulnar neuropathy, right knee flexion, and right wrist synovitis have been denied as his conditions do not meet the criteria for higher ratings under the applicable rating schedule.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including rheumatoid arthritis, right hip synovitis, meralgia paresthetica of the lower extremities, degenerative arthritis with spondylosis of the lumbar spine, and chronic headaches have been granted. The claim for service connection for hearing loss has been denied. The Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD, alcohol use disorder, and major depression have been denied.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's cervical spine degenerative joint disease, bilateral shoulder impingement, carpal tunnel syndrome of the right wrist, poor circulation of the bilateral lower extremities, and bilateral foot pain are not related to his period of service.,Service connection for these conditions is denied.

The Veteran's increased ratings for his right wrist disabilities are remanded due to the need for new examinations to assess current severity.

The Board dismissed the Veteran's appeals for service connection for a back disorder, separate ratings for agoraphobia, nervousness and depressive disorders, and higher ratings for the right arm and left shoulder scars, painful right arm scar, right wrist and hand arthrofibrosis, and left shoulder disability.

The Veteran's right wrist disability is rated at 50 percent, which represents the maximum schedular rating available under Diagnostic Code 5214 for ankylosis of the wrist.

The Veteran's right wrist disability is granted as service-connected.,The Veteran’s low back disability is denied for a rating higher than 10 percent.,Separate ratings of 10 percent are granted for left and right leg radiculopathy since October 20, 2013.,The Veteran's bilateral PFPS conditions do not meet the criteria for an increased rating.

The Veteran's appeal for an increased evaluation for bilateral hearing loss and service connection for a vision disability is being remanded due to the addition of new evidence since the most recent Statements of the Case.,The Veteran's appeals for service connection for traumatic brain injury, acquired psychiatric disorder (depression), bilateral median neuropathy, bilateral ulnar neuropathy, cervical spine disability, memory loss, carpal tunnel syndrome, diabetes mellitus, peripheral neuropathy, and heart disability are being remanded due to the addition of new evidence since the most recent Statements of the Case.

The Veteran's claims of service connection for right wrist CTS and left knee patellofemoral syndrome have been reopened. The Board has ordered a new VA examination to determine the current diagnosis and etiology of the Veteran’s knee conditions, including patellofemoral syndrome, and his wrist condition, including CTS.

The Veteran's service connection claims for multiple conditions are being remanded due to the need for additional medical examinations and opinions.