Wrist & hand decisions — 2025

The Board denied service connection for all the claimed conditions as they are not related to active service.

The Veteran withdrew the appeal for all issues, including service connection and rating claims.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for left wrist tendinitis, left patellofemoral pain syndrome, and a left ankle condition.

The Veteran's claim for special monthly compensation (SMC) based on the need for aid and attendance is granted, as he requires regular assistance with dressing, keeping himself clean and presentable, and attending to his bodily needs due to service-connected disabilities.

The Board granted service connection for tinnitus and acquired psychiatric disability, including post-traumatic stress disorder, with panic attacks, anxiety disorder and unspecified insomnia. The claim for bilateral hearing loss was denied.

The Board granted service connection for carpal tunnel syndrome of the left and right wrists, finding that the Veteran's symptoms began during his active-duty service as a cook.

The Board denied all claims for increased ratings and earlier effective dates, except for the grant of an earlier effective date for total disability due to individual unemployability (TDIU) and eligibility for Dependents' Educational Assistance based on permanent and total disability status.

The Board denied service connection for right wrist, left wrist, right hip, left hip, and right ankle disabilities but granted service connection for right knee and left knee patellar instability. The claims for a right shoulder, right elbow, and left elbow disability were remanded.

The Board denied service connection for an eating disorder and remanded the claims for headaches, hair loss, sore gums, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), fatigue, left shoulder disability, right elbow disability, left wrist disability, right wrist disability, left ankle disability, right ankle disability, foot disability, and low back disability for further development.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral shoulder, left wrist, bilateral hip, and left ankle disabilities as there is no current disability. The claim for an acquired psychiatric disability was remanded for further development.

The Board granted service connection for carpal tunnel syndrome, right wrist, as the evidence supports a link to the Veteran's military service. The left wrist condition remains under review.

The Board denied service connection for a tailbone fracture and remanded the claims for service connection for a low back pain disorder, De Quervain's syndrome of the right wrist and hand, and left knee patellofemoral syndrome due to inadequate VA examinations.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for service connection of a left wrist disability, as no evidence showed that she continuously pursued her claim within one year of the initial denial in 2003.

The Board denied service connection for tinnitus and denied initial ratings in excess of 20 percent for lumbosacral spine intervertebral disc syndrome, degenerative arthritis, radiculopathy, and left knee degenerative arthritis. The Board also denied an initial compensable rating for a right wrist scar and limitation of extension of the left knee.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for an earlier effective date for service connection for right carpal tunnel syndrome with tremors and right wrist arthritis with tendonitis, finding that no new and material evidence was received prior to December 19, 2016.

The Board granted service connection for left and right carpal tunnel syndrome, resolving reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran.

The Board denied service connection for insomnia, a bilateral foot disorder (claimed as osteoarthritis), and tinnitus. The claim for an increased rating for a right wrist condition was also denied.

The Board granted service connection for tinnitus and denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss, while dismissing the appeals for low back disability and emphysema. The remaining claims were remanded for further development.

The appeal was granted for service connection of a lumbar spine disability, radiculopathy of the left lower extremity, and a right wrist disability due to new evidence. Tinnitus was granted on direct service connection.

The Board denied service connection for all the claimed conditions as there was no evidence of a current disability or that any of the disabilities were related to active military service.