Wrist & hand decisions — 2023

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not preclude him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation.

The Veteran's claims for various conditions, including xerosis cutis, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), intestinal parasite, bilateral upper extremity peripheral neuropathy, bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome, bilateral hearing loss, and bilateral elbow lateral epicondylitis are being remanded due to the submission of new evidence. The AOJ must consider this new evidence in their readjudication process.

The Board denied service connection for chest pains, gastrointestinal disability, left wrist disability, residuals of right thumb laceration, and skin condition as there was no current diagnosis or functional impairment supporting the claims.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for tinnitus, cervical spine disorder, and sebaceous cyst disorder was denied. The appeal for a higher rating for carpal tunnel syndrome prior to July 30, 2021, is granted with a 30 percent disability rating. The appeal for TDIU is remanded.

The Board has remanded the cases of left wrist strain and low back disorder for further development due to inadequate medical opinions.

The Veteran's claim for compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 for residuals of right hand and wrist surgery was denied due to the absence of evidence showing that VA carelessness, negligence, or error caused additional disability.,The Veteran's request for an increased rating for his service-connected right middle finger fracture was also denied as there is no evidence indicating that VA failure to timely diagnose and properly treat the condition allowed it to progress.

The Veteran withdrew his claims for service connection for various disabilities, including bilateral foot and wrist disabilities, diabetes mellitus, hypertension (high blood pressure), sleep apnea, vision disability, limitation of flexion and extension of the knees, left knee pain, right knee pain, and lower back conditions.

The Board denied service connection for left upper extremity peripheral neuropathy and bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome, finding insufficient evidence to support a secondary or direct relationship to the Veteran's service-connected spine conditions.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for peripheral neuropathy has been reopened and granted. The Board found new and material evidence to support the reopening of this claim, but denied secondary service connection for right wrist carpal tunnel syndrome as it is not related to his service-connected disabilities.

The Board found that the Veteran's current carpal tunnel syndrome is not related to his in-service right wrist injury and denied service connection.

The Veteran's appeals for ratings in excess of 10 percent for her right and left wrist disabilities have been dismissed. The Board found that the Veteran withdrew her claims prior to the decision being promulgated.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome, finding that there was no evidence linking his current condition to his military service.

The Board has determined that additional VA examinations are needed to assess the current severity of the Veteran's service-connected bilateral wrist, bilateral hands, and right elbow disabilities due to a failure to comply with previous remand directives.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for additional development due to outstanding private treatment records and incomplete VA opinions regarding his service-connected disabilities.

The Board has determined that the VA addendum examination did not adequately address the evidence and made speculative conclusions. Therefore, a new examination is required to clarify the Veteran's diagnosis in light of conflicting evidence in the file and determine the etiology of his bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been dismissed due to his death.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for hypertension, left wrist disability, and TDIU prior to November 16, 2018 due to inadequate examination reports and failure to address certain factors in the existing VA examinations.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate medical opinions regarding the etiology of the Veteran's left wrist CTS and its relationship to service-connected disabilities.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for right upper extremity carpal tunnel syndrome, finding that it is not related to his military service or his service-connected residuals of gunshot wound.

The Veteran's PTSD is currently rated at 30 percent, and the Board found that it did not meet the criteria for a higher rating.,Service connection was denied for both left wrist and left knee disabilities due to lack of evidence showing their onset during service or being related to in-service injuries.