Wrist & hand decisions — 2024

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

The Veteran's service connection claims for left hand arthritis, left wrist arthritis, and left foot disability have been granted. The claim for migraine headaches is being remanded.

The Veteran's left wrist CTS is rated at 10 percent prior to December 12, 2019. From December 12, 2019, the rating for left wrist CTS has been increased to 20 percent. The right wrist CTS claim remains pending and will be remanded.

The Veteran's left wrist disorder does not result in loss of manipulation and grasping such that there is no useful remaining function in the hand, thus SMC for this condition is denied.

The Board has granted service connection for a right wrist disability, to include tendinitis. The left wrist condition is remanded as the VA examiners did not provide an opinion regarding its etiology.

The Board has granted an extraschedular TDIU due to service-connected left wrist disorder and left upper extremity muscle atrophy from November 1, 2014. The decision resolves any doubt in favor of the Veteran.

The Board remands the issues of entitlement to higher ratings for various left arm disabilities, including radius impairment, supination/pronation impairment, flexion limitation, extension limitation, and posttraumatic arthritis of the wrist.

The Board has determined that the VA medical opinions provided in April 2022 and March 2023 are not substantially compliant with the January 2022 remand directives. Therefore, another remand is necessary to obtain adequate VA opinions regarding the etiology of the Veteran's bilateral wrist conditions.

The Veteran's claim for SMC based on the need for aid and attendance prior to December 15, 2021 was denied as there is no evidence showing he required regular aid and assistance due to his service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for sleep apnea and left wrist tendonitis was dismissed as the Veteran withdrew her appeal through her authorized representative.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for a 10% disability rating for the left wrist ganglion cyst is denied. The current effective date of September 15, 2021, is not changed.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for right carpal tunnel syndrome as there is no current diagnosis of this condition in the record.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities prevent him from obtaining or maintaining substantially gainful employment as of February 18, 2019.

The Board has granted service connection for left wrist strain with abnormal radiologic findings, finding that the Veteran's current condition is related to his in-service injury.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to inadequate VA examinations and duty-to-assist errors.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for service connection due to a failure to submit a completed VA Form 21-526 within one year of her intent to file, despite receiving multiple notices and opportunities.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and initial evaluations for various conditions have been denied. The Board found no evidence of current disabilities or a causal relationship to active service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities render him unable to secure and follow any substantially gainful occupation, thus a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) is granted.

The Board has found that there was not substantial compliance with its remand directives and has therefore ordered the Veteran's claims for service connection to be remanded for additional development.

The Veteran's right and left upper extremity carpal tunnel syndrome are granted increased ratings of 30% and 20%, respectively, effective June 3, 2021.