Wrist & hand Board decisions

The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including a left wrist fracture, skin rash, low back condition, sleep disorder, lung condition with shortness of breath, and rheumatoid arthritis. The veteran's claims were based on direct evidence rather than any presumption or secondary relationship to service.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for reopening his service connection claims for left hand arthritis, right hand carpal tunnel syndrome, and a back disorder due to lack of new and material evidence.

The Board has dismissed the appellant's claims due to his failure to respond and cooperate with VA, including failing to report for scheduled examinations.

The Board denied service connection for residuals of a fractured left wrist due to lack of evidence of current disability, and the new evidence received does not provide such evidence.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral defective hearing, a left wrist disability, a left shoulder disability with resection of the left distal clavicle, and meniscal degeneration of the left knee. The veteran's claims were not reopened as new and material evidence was not submitted.

The Board denied an increased evaluation for the veteran's right wrist disability and did not address whether new and material evidence had been submitted to reopen a claim of service connection for hearing loss.

The Board denied the veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for various conditions, including a first-degree atrioventricular block, defective vision, hip disability, bilateral arm and wrist disabilities, skin disability, and dental condition. The decision also addressed whether new and material evidence had been submitted to reopen the claim of residuals of eye burns.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for right carpal tunnel syndrome, finding that there was not an approximate balance of positive and negative evidence to support the claim. The preponderance of the evidence did not support a causal relationship between the service-connected right wrist fracture and the later development of carpal tunnel syndrome.

The veteran's PTSD has been rated at 100 percent effective June 15, 2000. His gunshot wound residuals of the right wrist have been rated at 10 percent.

The VA has denied a rating in excess of 10 percent for the veteran's service-connected right wrist disability, which includes a comminuted fracture and subsequent fusion with arthrodesis. The evidence does not support an evaluation higher than 10 percent.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have carpal tunnel syndrome of the right hand or residuals of an injury to the right arm as a result of service. The evidence does not support these claims.

The Board has determined that the reduction of the evaluation for right wrist pain from 10 percent to 0 percent effective February 1, 2002 is void ab initio. The veteran's right wrist disorder does not meet criteria for an evaluation in excess of 10 percent.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for higher initial evaluations for left carpal tunnel syndrome and left wrist scar, finding that the evidence did not meet the criteria for a rating in excess of the currently assigned 10 percent evaluations.

The VA denied the claim that the veteran's service-connected conditions contributed to his death. The Board found no evidence linking any of the veteran's service-connected disabilities, including his hearing loss and tinnitus, to his death.

The Board has determined that the veteran's service-connected rheumatic heart disease does not warrant an evaluation in excess of 10 percent, and his service-connected osteoarthritis of the right wrist is also rated at its maximum allowable under VA regulations. The veteran's current symptoms are attributed to non-service connected conditions.

The Board has determined that there is no evidence showing the veteran currently has arthritis of the right wrist, and thus denied his claim for service connection.

The veteran's cervical spine disability is rated at 10 percent, tension headaches are rated at 10 percent, tinnitus is rated at the maximum schedular evaluation available, and bilateral hearing loss does not meet criteria for a compensable rating. Service connection was established for obstructive sleep apnea, right carpal tunnel syndrome, and multiple sclerosis (MS). The veteran's service-connected disabilities preclude him from securing and following any form of substantially gainful employment.

The Board found that the veteran's service-connected wrist disabilities do not warrant a compensable evaluation.

The veteran's service-connected traumatic arthritis of the right wrist is currently rated at 10 percent, and there are no issues related to service connection or exposure basis. The rating will remain unchanged.

The Board denied service connection for numbness of the upper extremities, including carpal tunnel syndrome, as there was no evidence showing a relationship between current symptoms and service.