Wrist & hand decisions — 2025

The Board remands the claims for service connection for a right ankle disability, right wrist disability, and psychiatric disability to afford the Veteran VA examinations.

The Board remands the service connection claims for a left wrist, right wrist, and left shoulder disability to allow for initial adjudication on the merits.

The appeal for service connection for various conditions, including hypertension, gastrointestinal disability, sleep apnea, skin disability, Dupuytren's contracture, and Peyronie's disease, is remanded due to the need for additional development.

The Board denied an initial compensable disability rating for bilateral hearing loss and remanded claims for service connection for hypertension, left carpal tunnel syndrome, and a total disability rating based on individual unemployability prior to April 1, 2017.

The appeal was dismissed due to an impermissible concurrent election and the January 2024 AOJ decision on DM was not final.

The Board denied service connection for multiple claimed disabilities, including fractured skull, sinusitis, broken elbows, wrist injury, hand fracture, hips, knee and ankle injuries, as there was no evidence of current disability or functional impairment related to these claims.

The appeal for service connection for headaches was denied, while the claims for ED, left elbow, left wrist, right hand, and right shoulder disorders were remanded for further development.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for right and left carpal tunnel syndrome to afford the Veteran a VA examination and medical opinion to determine the nature and etiology of his diagnosed bilateral CTS on a direct basis.

The appeal for service connection for carpal tunnel syndrome, limited flexion of the forearm (elbow condition left), impairment of elbow or flail joint (elbow condition right), limitation of motion of the arm (shoulder condition left), and chronic adjustment disorder (depression) was dismissed due to untimely filing of a Notice of Disagreement.

The Board remands the appeal to the RO for a more adequate VA examination that includes weight-bearing and non-weight-bearing range of motion assessments, as well as an assessment of flare-ups and functional loss without medication.

The Board denied service connection for a right wrist disability, finding no evidence of an in-service injury or disease related to the right wrist and no nexus between the current condition and service. The claim for a left wrist disability was remanded due to a lack of notification regarding a scheduled examination.

The Veteran's service connection for headaches was granted, while claims for right wrist carpal tunnel syndrome, left wrist carpal tunnel syndrome, ingrown toenails, hemorrhoids, and constipation were denied.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for various disabilities, including right knee, left and right hip, left and right shoulder, and left and right wrist disabilities, to correct a pre-decisional duty to assist error.

The Board denied the claims for service connection for hypertension, diabetes mellitus, type 2, arthritis of the right hand, residuals of metacarpal fracture of the 4th digit of the right hand, and nerve damage of the right wrist as secondary to a service-connected disability. The claim for a compensable evaluation for the service-connected fracture of the 5th digit of the right hand was also denied.

The Board granted service connection for left ear hearing loss and denied a rating in excess of 10 percent for the right wrist disability.

The appeal for service connection for right carpal tunnel syndrome is remanded due to a lack of substantial compliance with previous Board remand directives.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for carpal tunnel syndrome, hypertension, thrombocytopenia, and obstructive sleep apnea to obtain additional medical opinions.

The Board denied service connection for the veteran's claimed conditions, including left knee disability, right knee disability, bilateral plantar fasciitis, lumbar spine disability, right shoulder disability, and right wrist disability.

The Board remands the claim for a supplemental medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's right wrist disability was caused or aggravated by falling due to his left ankle injury.

The appeal for a rating in excess of 10 percent for right wrist carpal tunnel syndrome was dismissed due to the lack of a valid motion for reconsideration.