Wrist & hand decisions — 2025

The Veteran's IBS was granted, while other claims for service connection were denied or remanded.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for left and right wrist arthritis, post-fracture, as the evidence did not support a rating in excess of 10 percent.

The Board granted service connection for headaches as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected back condition and bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy, but denied service connection for right hand carpal tunnel, left hand carpal tunnel, and a rating in excess of 40 percent for degenerative arthritis, intervertebral disc syndrome, and lumbar strain (back condition). The Board also remanded the issue of entitlement to a total individual disability rating based on unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.

The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including flat foot, plantar fasciitis, left shoulder condition, back condition, bilateral wrist condition, sleep disorder, right shin splints, and bilateral knee condition.

The Board granted increased initial ratings for cervical spine strain and cervicothoracic radiculopathy of both upper extremities, as well as service connection for right hand and wrist pain. The left hand disability was denied.

The Board denied service connection for the veteran's claimed conditions, including a bilateral foot disability, tinea pedis, onychomycosis, hypertension, carpal tunnel syndrome, and erectile dysfunction, as there was no evidence to support a causal relationship between these conditions and his active duty service.

The Board denied earlier effective dates for the awards of service connection and higher initial ratings for various conditions, including PTSD, shoulder rotator cuff tendonitis, migraine headaches, thoracic strain, cervical strain, allergic rhinitis, hemorrhoids, right hand index finger residuals, right wrist residuals, and peripheral neurological involvement.

The Board granted a 20 percent rating for CTS affecting the left wrist and a 30 percent rating for CTS affecting the right wrist, while remanding the claim of entitlement to service connection for TBI.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection and earlier effective dates, as there was no evidence of a current disability or entitlement arising prior to December 21, 2021.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a bilateral hearing loss disability as there was no evidence of a current disability. The claims for back, left wrist, right wrist, and shoulder disabilities were remanded for further development.

The Board denied earlier effective dates for service connection and increased ratings, granted a 20 percent rating for left femoral nerve neuralgia, and granted a 50 percent rating prior to October 7, 2022, for adjustment disorder with depressed mood, insomnia disorder and somatic symptom disorder.

The Board denied service connection for arthritis, a right hip disability, and a left hip disability. The 10 percent ratings for the left and right wrist disabilities were also denied.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for various disorders due to the need for additional development and clarification of evidence.

The Board remands the issues of service connection for various conditions, including psychiatric disorders and musculoskeletal problems, as additional evidence has not been considered by the agency of original jurisdiction.

All appeals for ratings in excess of the current ratings or service connection were dismissed due to impermissible concurrent elections.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for the Veteran's cause of death and entitlement to DIC benefits due to an inadequate medical opinion regarding the relationship between the Veteran's service-connected conditions and his death.

The Board granted service connection for persistent depressive disorder and somatic symptom disorder, and assigned a 70 percent rating for other specified trauma and stressor related disorder with mild alcohol use disorder. The claims for increased ratings for the right shoulder strain and IBS were denied.

The Board denied initial disability ratings in excess of the assigned percentages for various conditions, granted a 20 percent rating for right lower extremity radiculopathy and a 10 percent rating for dry eye syndrome, and remanded several claims for further development.

The Board granted service connection for fibromyalgia, but remanded the claims for anxiety and carpal tunnel syndrome due to insufficient evidence.

The Board granted service connection for right and left knee arthritis, right and left shoulder arthritis, and right and left wrist arthritis based on evidence showing the conditions had their onset in and have continued since service.