Wrist & hand decisions — 2024

The appeals for service connection of right wrist, hand, and shoulder disorders have been dismissed as the Veteran's claims were granted in a previous decision.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including wrist carpal tunnel syndrome, shoulder disorder, sleep apnea, bilateral hearing loss, and knee disorders. The decision is based on insufficient evidence and the need for additional development such as obtaining medical opinions and treatment records.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is denied as there is no evidence of current hearing loss for VA purposes.,The right ear condition, hypoglycemia, and earlier effective date for hypertension claims have been withdrawn by the appellant (or his authorized representative).,The right arm/wrist condition was granted by a previous rating decision. The appeal for this issue is dismissed as moot.,The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for hypertension has been remanded due to lack of VA examination.,The claims for service connection for right knee disorder, left lower extremity radiculopathy, skin condition (claimed as dermatitis and/or eczema), left hip condition, right shoulder condition, and right hip condition are all remanded for further evaluation.

The Veteran's claims for PTSD, right wrist carpal tunnel syndrome, and left wrist carpal tunnel syndrome are being remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions regarding their etiology.

The Veteran's claims for obstructive sleep apnea, sinusitis, respiratory disability, restless leg syndrome, right wrist and knee disabilities, cardiac disability, lumbar spine disability, fibromyalgia, hand tremors, headache, fatigue, and bilateral hearing loss have been denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a finding of service connection for these conditions due to lack of current diagnoses or causal links.

The Veteran seeks earlier effective dates for increased ratings and service connection. The Board finds that no earlier effective date can be granted as the increase in disability is not factually ascertainable within one year prior to the claim.,The Veteran also seeks earlier effective dates for service connection of tinnitus, right carpal tunnel syndrome, and left carpal tunnel syndrome. The claims were previously denied but reopened on new evidence.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for erectile dysfunction, hypertension, cervical spine degenerative arthritis, right and left tennis elbow, left shoulder arthritis, left hand neuropathy, right leg neuropathy, and left wrist carpal tunnel syndrome has been granted. The PACT Act expanded the presumptive exposure for hypertension to include veterans who were exposed to herbicide agents during service in Vietnam.

The Veteran's right ankle disability is granted service connection. The appeal for pain related skeletal trauma (joints other than hands) has been withdrawn by the Veteran. The appeals for right elbow, wrist, hand, and thumb disabilities are remanded.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for a middle back disorder has been dismissed as the Veteran withdrew his claim during a Board hearing.,The Veteran's appeals for separate disability ratings and service connections for various upper extremity disorders have been remanded.

The Veteran's claims for compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 for left and right knee disabilities are dismissed because service connection has been granted. The claims for left wrist, low back, and left foot disabilities remain denied.

The Board has dismissed the appeals regarding service connection for various conditions due to the Veteran's withdrawal of his appeal.

The Board has remanded the issues of service connection for right foot disorder, left foot disorder, skeletal arthritis, sinus disorder, COPD, headaches, right carpal tunnel syndrome, left carpal tunnel syndrome, depression, bilateral eye disorder, and ED due to lack of cooperation in providing necessary medical examinations.

The Veteran's right wrist disability is rated at 30 percent from July 1, 2018 to September 27, 2022 and at 70 percent thereafter. The temporary total rating for convalescence following surgery was granted through June 30, 2018.

The Board has remanded several issues related to the Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including ratings for various conditions and service connection claims. The Veteran is unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation due to her service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's left upper extremity radiculopathy with left hand carpal tunnel syndrome is rated at 20 percent, and the right hand carpal tunnel syndrome is rated at 10 percent. The vasomotor rhinitis is rated at 10 percent.

The Veteran's carpal tunnel syndrome of the right wrist is granted service connection. Service connection for a right foot condition, glaucoma, and herpes keratitis are denied. Effective dates prior to July 13, 2016, for increased evaluations of left shoulder degenerative joint disease and right shoulder degenerative joint disease are denied. The Veteran's GERD is granted an evaluation greater than 10 percent.

The Veteran's jaw disability is granted service connection. The lumbar spine, right wrist, and right hand disabilities are remanded for further development.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not prevent him from securing and maintaining substantially gainful employment.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claims for service connection for right hand injury and lower back injury, finding that there is sufficient evidence to support these conditions as being related to his military service.,Both injuries are considered direct service connections based on their occurrence during active duty.

The appeal for service connection for sleep apnea is dismissed. The appeals for the remaining conditions are remanded.