Wrist & hand Board decisions

The Board found no current diagnoses of the claimed conditions and concluded that service connection is not warranted for any of the disabilities listed.

The Board dismissed the appeal due to the appellant's withdrawal of the appeal prior to a decision being made.

The Board denied the veteran's claims of service connection for arthritis of the left hand and disability of the left wrist, finding that there was no evidence of a nexus between these conditions and his active duty service or a service-connected condition.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have a current bilateral knee disorder or ganglion cyst of the left wrist, and therefore service connection for these conditions is denied.

The Board is reopening the veteran's claims for service connection for residuals of a fracture of the right clavicle, fibrositis of the right shoulder with degenerative joint disease, and degenerative joint disease of the left shoulder, bilateral wrists, and bilateral hands. The underlying merits of these claims will be addressed in a subsequent decision.

Service connection for residuals of a left wrist stab wound and burn scars of the right hand was granted with effective date December 22, 2000. Service connection for burn scars of the left hand was also granted with the same effective date.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome and a compensable evaluation for his bilateral hearing loss, both of which were initially granted in March 2001.

The Board found that the veteran's Galeazzi fracture of the left wrist does not meet the criteria for a compensable evaluation based on limitation of motion and other symptoms.

The Board has granted the veteran's claim for service connection for the residuals of a right wrist injury, finding that the condition is related to an in-service motorcycle accident.

The Board has determined that the veteran's service-connected disabilities did not cause or contribute substantially and materially to his death. Therefore, service connection for the cause of death is denied.

The Board has granted a 20 percent disability rating for the veteran's service-connected degenerative joint disease of the cervical spine, finding moderate limitation of motion. The claims for secondary service connection for tension headaches and bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome have also been granted.

The Board has determined that the veteran's bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome is not related to his service-connected post-traumatic cerebral syndrome and therefore denied the claim for service connection.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for further action, including scheduling a hearing before the Board at the local RO and issuing a statement of the case on his claim for a compensable evaluation for chondromalacia of the left knee.

The Board has determined that there is no evidence of current left wrist or thumb disorders, and thus the veteran's claims for service connection are denied.

The Board denied an increased rating for the veteran's service-connected right wrist disability, finding that the evidence did not support a higher evaluation.

The Board has granted a 10 percent rating for the veteran's bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome, which approximates mild incomplete paralysis of the median nerve.

The Board has granted a 30 percent evaluation for the veteran's left wrist disability effective November 2, 2001. The veteran previously had an increase in his evaluation to 30 percent effective November 2, 2001.

The Board has denied service connection for a heart disorder and right wrist (carpal tunnel syndrome) disability, as there is no competent evidence indicating that the appellant has such disabilities related to service. The Board also found that the current compensable rating for ulnar nerve paralysis of the right elbow is not warranted.

The veteran's claim for service connection for right wrist injury residuals was denied. The issues of reopening claims for low back and left wrist disorders, as well as the temporary total rating claim, are pending further review.

The veteran withdrew his appeal for increased ratings for the service-connected residuals of shell fragment wounds to the right hand and right chest, as well as for the service-connected traumatic arthritis to the right hand and wrist.