Wrist & hand decisions — 2025

The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including an acquired psychiatric disorder, tinnitus, hypertension, a dental and oral disorder, gastroesophageal reflux disease, headaches, a lumbar spine disorder, a cervical spine disorder, right ankle disorder, left ankle disorder, right wrist disorder, and left wrist disorder.

The Board remands all service connection claims for further development and to correct a pre-decisional duty to assist error.

The Board dismissed the veteran's appeals for service connection for various conditions, as well as denied extensions of time to file a notice of disagreement.

The Board granted service connection for a chronic right wrist sprain, finding that the condition was incurred in or caused by an in-service injury.

The Board denied higher ratings for lumbosacral strain, right and left arm carpal tunnel syndrome, and migraines prior to March 22, 2023, but granted a 50 percent rating for migraines effective from that date. The Board also denied earlier effective dates for the grants of service connection for sciatic radiculopathy and eligibility for Dependents' Educational Assistance.

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

The Board remands the claims for increased ratings and service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder due to inadequate examinations and failure to address additional symptoms.

The Board granted service connection for bilateral lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome, and left cubital tunnel syndrome based on the Veteran's in-service exposure to herbicide agents.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for special monthly compensation (SMC) based on aid and attendance due to a lack of evidence showing that his service-connected disabilities required regular aid and attendance from another person.

The appeal for service connection for multiple conditions has been withdrawn by the Veteran.

The Board remands the claims for a comprehensive examination to assess the severity of the Veteran's service-connected bilateral upper extremity neurological disabilities and left elbow scar.

The Board granted service connection for left wrist disability and tinnitus, resolving reasonable doubt in the Veteran's favor.

The Board remands the claims for an initial disability rating in excess of 10 percent for left wrist carpal tunnel syndrome (median and ulnar nerve) and right wrist carpal tunnel syndrome (median nerve), as further development is needed to properly assess the severity of these conditions.

The Board denied service connection for an anxiety disorder due to insufficient evidence of a current disability and no nexus to service. The remaining claims were remanded for further development.

The Board dismissed all appeals seeking service connection for various conditions, as the Veteran withdrew his appeal prior to a scheduled hearing.

The Veteran withdrew the entire appeal, and all issues were dismissed.

The veteran withdrew the appeal for service connection for multiple conditions, including hearing loss, facial scars, hypertension, diabetes mellitus type II, skin condition, sleep apnea, and various musculoskeletal issues.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a compensable initial evaluation for bilateral hearing loss disability and remanded claims for service connection for neurological disabilities in the upper and lower extremities.

The Board denied an initial compensable rating for right wrist eczema as the evidence did not show characteristic lesions involving at least 5 percent, but less than 20 percent, of the entire body affected; or at least 5 percent, but less than 20 percent, of exposed areas affected; or intermittent systemic therapy required for a total duration of less than 6 weeks over the past 12-month period.

The Board remands the matter to obtain a VA examination to address direct service connection and secondary service connection for the Veteran's bilateral wrist disability.