Wrist & hand decisions — 2024

The Board dismissed both appeals for service connection and a disability rating due to the Veteran's withdrawal of his appeal.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to pre-decisional duty to assist errors in the previous rating decisions. The issues of headaches, left shoulder disorder, left wrist disorder, and right wrist disorder will be reconsidered with new evidence and examinations.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection for hypertension and tinnitus are dismissed. The issue of entitlement to service connection for a right wrist disorder is remanded.

The Board denied service connection for tension headaches, dizziness, and chronic left wrist sprain with ganglion cyst.,There is no persuasive evidence that the Veteran's current conditions are related to her military service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation as of July 28, 2014.

The Board has denied service connection for various conditions, including Achilles tendon disability, bilateral ankle disability, bilateral carpal tunnel disability, bilateral hip and thigh disability, peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities, peripheral neuropathy of the upper extremities, cervical spine disability, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), rhinitis/sinusitis, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and groin disability. The evidence does not support a finding that any of these conditions began during service or are otherwise related to service.,The Veteran did not provide sufficient information in his claims for the Board to determine if there were any presumptive exposures or other theories of service connection.

The Board has remanded the claim for service connection of posttraumatic osteoarthritis of the left wrist as secondary to service-connected left wrist strain due to insufficient evidence in the June 2021 VA opinion.

The Veteran's left ear hearing loss disability is rated at noncompensable (0%) due to the lack of exceptional pattern of hearing impairment.,Tinnitus has been assigned a maximum schedular rating of 10% since the date of claim, and no higher rating is warranted as it does not meet the criteria for an evaluation in excess of 10 percent under DC 6260.,The Veteran's post-traumatic stress changes to both wrists are rated at 10%, which is the maximum schedular rating available. No higher rating is warranted based on the evidence of record.,Tinnitus has been granted service connection since July 31, 2019, and no earlier effective date is warranted as there was no pending or unadjudicated claim for tinnitus prior to that date.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings have been denied. The Board found no current disabilities for bilateral hearing loss, left wrist disability, right ankle disability, or patellofemoral syndrome of the left knee that meet VA criteria for compensation.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for various gout conditions and a bilateral wrist disability, including arthritis and ulnar impaction syndrome. The issues are related to secondary service connection due to chronic kidney disease.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's left wrist TFCC injury is related to service and grants service connection for this condition.

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

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current right wrist disability and is therefore denied service connection for residuals of a right wrist injury. The back disability claim is remanded due to inadequate opinion in the August 2019 VA examination.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for a left wrist disability, right hand disability, lumbar spine disability, and residual scar, lumbar spine surgery were dismissed as the Veteran did not timely file a Notice of Disagreement (NOD) or VA Form 10182 within one year from the date of notification letters.,The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for right hand disability was also dismissed because she failed to timely file a VA Form 10182 after the September 2019 decision. ,The Veteran's claims for service connection for left knee disability and right knee disability were dismissed as well, due to her failure to timely file a Notice of Disagreement (NOD) or VA Form 10182 within one year from the date of notification letters.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for asthma was granted in an April 2024 rating decision and is considered fully granted, thus the appeal is dismissed.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for right shoulder disability, left-wrist carpal tunnel syndrome, and right-wrist carpal tunnel syndrome due to a lack of evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Board has denied a compensable evaluation for ganglion cyst of the right wrist, finding that there is no evidence of painful motion or other functional loss.

The Board has dismissed the claims for service connection of left and right hip disorders as they have been granted in a previous decision. The wrist disorder claims are remanded due to inadequate examination.

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings for service-connected left lower extremity scars and right-sided carpal tunnel syndrome have been dismissed as the July 2021 rating decisions were not initial decisions issued after the implementation of the modernized system.

The Board denied a higher rating for peripheral neuropathy of the left-hand lacerations and related residuals, but granted service connection for left hand carpal tunnel syndrome as a residual of his left hand and left middle, ring, and little finger lacerations.

The appeal for service connection for high cholesterol was dismissed, and the claims for an acquired psychiatric disorder, eye disorder (to include glaucoma), diabetes, hypertension, anemia, sinusitis, headache disorder, right elbow disability, left elbow disability, right wrist disability, and left wrist disability were denied. The claim for an acquired psychiatric disorder was reopened based on new evidence.