Wrist & hand decisions — 2023

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and right wrist disability (other than CTS) are not service-connected. The Veteran is granted a 30 percent rating for his CTS of the left wrist from August 24, 2022, but denied higher ratings for his CTS of the right wrist and PFB.

The Veteran's claims are being remanded due to incomplete records and issues with the evaluation of his service-connected conditions.

The Board has determined that the VA medical opinions provided are inadequate and requires further examination to determine if the Veteran's disabilities were caused or aggravated by service or a service-connected disability.

The Veteran's major depressive disorder is granted as secondary to service-connected disabilities.,The Veteran's headache disability and erectile dysfunction are both granted as secondary to medications used to treat his service-connected psychiatric disability.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for chest pain (claimed as chest pain and hypertension) and tendonitis of the right hip, bilateral ankles, right wrist, and thumbs due to insufficient evidence regarding their etiology. The Veteran will need to undergo VA examinations to determine if these conditions are related to his service.

The Veteran was granted a TDIU from February 19, 2014, to January 1, 2017. The Board also remanded the cases for consideration of an extraschedular TDIU rating prior to and after this period.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development and consideration due to incomplete records and need for additional medical opinions.

The Veteran's claims of service connection for hepatitis C and increased ratings for PTSD, multiple traumas to left hand, dermatitis, and a scar are remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions.

The Veteran's right wrist disability was denied an increased rating, as the evidence did not show that it warranted a higher rating than 10 percent.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for right and left upper extremity neurological disabilities, including carpal tunnel syndrome and cubital tunnel syndrome, due to inadequate nexus opinions from VA examiners.

The Board denied service connection for thoracic spine and left wrist CTS disabilities, but granted a separate 10% rating for mild instability of the right knee throughout the appeal period.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal for an increased rating of his left wrist disability, and the Board dismissed the case as a result.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a left forearm condition and a left wrist/hand condition, finding no nexus between these conditions and her active duty service.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to incomplete findings from previous VA examinations and a need for updated treatment records. The Veteran's right hand condition, including arthritis and carpal tunnel syndrome, will be evaluated again by a clinician.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for right shoulder, bilateral wrist, and bilateral knee disorders due to inadequate compliance with previous remand directives.

The Veteran's wrists have been rated at 10 percent for ganglion cyst excision surgeries, and the Board found no evidence of ankylosis or other conditions warranting a higher rating.

The Board has remanded the case for a new VA medical opinion to determine if any additional disability resulting from the June 2010 right wrist surgery was due to an event not reasonably foreseeable. The RO should also conduct any additional development and readjudicate the issue.

The Board has remanded several claims for further development, including those related to insomnia disorder, erectile dysfunction, chronic fatigue syndrome, blackout spells, DDD of the cervical spine, pinched nerve as secondary to DDD of the cervical spine, right carpal tunnel syndrome, and right shoulder disability. The Veteran's hypertension claim is also being remanded.

The Veteran seeks service connection for a left wrist laceration that occurred during his military service, which he claims was caused by suicide attempts due to untreated psychiatric problems. The Board has remanded the case for further examination and opinion regarding whether the laceration is secondary to his service-connected major depressive disorder.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient evidence regarding the etiology of his low back disorder. The Veteran is not granted service connection for heart and wrist conditions.