Wrist & hand decisions — 2023

The Veteran's claims for service connection of various disorders are being remanded due to the need for additional medical examinations and evaluations.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for various disabilities due to incomplete service personnel records and a need for additional examinations.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for various disabilities, including left ankle, foot, wrist, shoulder, low back, and right knee injuries. The VA examinations are needed to determine if these conditions are related to service.

The Board has dismissed the appeals for increased ratings and service connection as the appellant withdrew his appeal prior to a decision being made.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional examinations and opinions to address the etiology of his diagnosed conditions, including vertigo. The claims are also remanded for further development regarding service connection.

The Board has granted service connection for right and left epicondylitis, as well as right and left knee degenerative joint disease. The Veteran's carpal tunnel syndrome of the wrists and cubital tunnel syndrome of the elbows are remanded for additional medical opinion.

The Board has granted service connection for a right wrist disability and a neck disability, finding that the Veteran's conditions began during active service. The decision also denied service connection for dental trauma.

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings and service connection have been dismissed. The Board has remanded several issues related to the Veteran's disabilities, including right hip disability, left hip disability, PTSD, radiculopathy of the upper extremities, rotator cuff tendonitis strain of the shoulder, bilateral feet disabilities, neck disability, back disability, sciatica of the lower extremities, and wrist and ankle disabilities.

The Veteran is granted increased disability ratings of 40 percent for his right wrist and 50 percent for his left wrist, effective October 29, 2013.

The Board has denied service connection for various knee, upper extremity, and foot disorders as they are not related to the Veteran's military service.

The Veteran's lumbosacral strain, tension headaches, right knee strain, and cervical strain are all granted as service-connected.,Service connection is also established for rhinitis and left wrist sprain. Groin rash was denied.

The Veteran's service connection for prostate cancer is granted on a presumptive basis due to burn pit exposure. Service connection for left CTS remains pending and requires further development.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to new evidence being submitted, and the Veteran did not respond to a request for waiver of AOJ consideration. The claim will be returned to the AOJ for further review.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection on the issues of non-specific damage to the heart, circulatory system, cellular DNA damage, and cancers and gene damage have been dismissed due to his withdrawal. The remaining claims are remanded.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions including worms, hemorrhoids, joint pain (to include arthritis), knee conditions, shoulder conditions, wrist conditions, hand conditions, eating disorders, migraines, cardiovascular condition, digestive condition, dizziness, and ear condition have all been denied. The Board found no evidence of a current diagnosis or in-service occurrence for these conditions.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for left upper extremity cervical radiculopathy prior to August 24, 2022 was granted. The claim for a higher rating after that date remains denied.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims of service connection for muscle and joint pain, including back pain; a left wrist disorder; bilateral hearing loss; and tinnitus. The decision is based on the Veteran's incarcerated status and the need to schedule examinations while he remains in prison.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including OSA, lumbar degenerative disc disease, carpal tunnel syndrome, and anxiety disorder, have rendered him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment consistent with his education and experience.

The Board has remanded nine issues related to service connection for various conditions, including PTSD, depression, insomnia, carpal tunnel syndrome, and osteoarthritis. The Veteran's in-service stressors include exposure to the noise of cannon fire and guard duty.

The Board has denied service connection for cervical spine, right shoulder, left shoulder, right elbow, left elbow, right wrist, and left wrist disorders. The acquired psychiatric disorder (to include PTSD, depression, and anxiety) is also remanded.