Wrist & hand Board decisions

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development of his claims, including obtaining service medical records and conducting VA examinations to determine the nature and etiology of any currently present back disability, bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome, and asthma.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service connected residuals of a fracture of the right tibia with patellofemoral arthritis and his service connected right wrist disorder.

The Board found no clear and unmistakable error in the RO's rating decisions of September 1971, as the evidence then of record did not support a higher evaluation for the veteran's shell fragment wounds and scar.

The veteran's claim for service connection for carpal tunnel syndrome is not well-grounded. The VA has denied the claims for benefits under 38 U.S.C.A. � 1151 for residuals of a tracheostomy and left shoulder disability, as well as his claims for increased ratings for cervical strain with arthritis, thoracic spine arthritis, lumbar spine weakness, and right knee arthritis.

The Board denied an increased disability rating for the veteran's service-connected residuals of fracture, right wrist, as his condition did not meet the criteria for a higher rating under any applicable diagnostic codes.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for increased evaluations of his left shoulder, left wrist, and left ankle disabilities. The current ratings are noncompensable.

The Board denied an increased evaluation for the veteran's service-connected residuals of a grenade fragmentation wound to the left hand and denied entitlement to a total rating for compensation purposes based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.

The veteran's service-connected right wrist disability does not markedly interfere with his employment or result in frequent periods of hospitalization, thus the criteria for an extraschedular evaluation are not met.

The Board has granted service connection for carpal tunnel syndrome of the right arm, left arm, and degenerative joint disease of the right knee. The disability ratings are not addressed in this decision.

The veteran's appeal was dismissed because her substantive appeal did not discuss any errors of fact or law regarding the issue of an initial compensable disability evaluation for a right wrist disorder.

The Board found that the preponderance of evidence is against the veteran's claim for service connection for right wrist fusion as being secondary to his service-connected postoperative peripheral neuropathy of the left ulnar nerve. The case is remanded for an additional VA examination.

The Board has granted service connection for right wrist and hand arthritis, cervical spine arthritis, and right ear defective hearing. Service connection was also granted for left knee disorder, right shoulder disorder, and left shoulder disorder. The veteran's claims for a well-grounded claim of service connection for a left knee disorder, right shoulder disorder, and left shoulder disorder are pending.

The Board has found that the veteran's arthritis of multiple joints is not related to her period of active service and denied her claim for service connection.

The Board has granted service connection for a cardiac disability characterized as sinus bradycardia and awarded an original evaluation of 10 percent for right and left wrist disabilities. Service connection was also established for lumbar, cervical, and thoracic spine disabilities. However, the Board denied claims for service connection for pulmonary and sinusitis disabilities due to lack of current diagnosis.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected osteoarthritis of the dorsal spine, dermatitis with a history of yaws, right wrist osteoarthritis, and left ankle sprain with osteoarthritis. The highest schedular rating available under the applicable criteria was assigned.

The veteran's claims for increased evaluations and service connection were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a finding of service connection or entitlement to increased evaluations.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claims for service connection for left wrist and thumb disabilities are not well grounded. The RO is directed to schedule the veteran for a VA examination to assess his right knee disability.

The Board has reopened the veteran's claim for service connection for a right wrist disability due to new and material evidence submitted, but it remains unclear if all of the evidence warrants granting service connection.

The veteran's right wrist sprain, major depression, and lateral meniscus tear of the left knee are all currently rated at their maximum levels. The claims for increased evaluations have been granted.

The Board denied the veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for right wrist disability, left wrist disability, and psychiatric disorder. The decision found no current diagnosed disabilities and insufficient evidence linking any claimed conditions to service.