Wrist & hand Board decisions

The Board has granted a compensable evaluation (10%) for the veteran's tenosynovitis of the right thumb and wrist, effective from June 28, 1992.

The Board has granted service connection for a right knee disability and assigned a 10% rating for the left wrist arthritis with neurological impairment. The issues of increased ratings are also addressed.

The veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for plantar fasciitis, a left eye disorder, a bilateral wrist disorder, a rectal disorder, residuals of a nose injury, and headaches are not well-grounded.,There is no competent evidence linking the veteran's current conditions to his period of active service.

The Board found that the veteran's chronic rhinitis/sinusitis with nonprostrating headaches does not warrant a higher evaluation, and her bilateral hearing loss and left wrist strain do not meet compensable criteria.

The Board found that the veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral ear pain, numbness in the extremities, wrist and hand pain, and right hip pain are not well grounded as there is no evidence showing these conditions were incurred or aggravated during her military service.

The veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected disabilities are being remanded due to inadequate examination reports. The RO will schedule the veteran for additional examinations and consider his claims again.

The veteran's laceration scars of the right forearm, with carpal tunnel syndrome, are currently rated at 10 percent disabling. The Board finds that these symptoms do not warrant a higher rating under Diagnostic Code 8515.

The veteran's service-connected disabilities, including a shrapnel wound to the left wrist and an injury to muscle group II in his right axilla, are currently rated at their maximum levels. The scars on his feet and leg do not meet criteria for any additional evaluation.

The Board denied increased evaluations for the veteran's post-operative right wrist injury with carpal tunnel syndrome and residuals of a right eye injury, as well as service connection for hypertension secondary to these conditions. The veteran was granted a 30 percent evaluation for his right wrist condition.

The Board finds that the appellant's bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome was not incurred in or aggravated during service and is not presumed to have been incurred by service. The claim for service connection is denied.

The Board denied increased ratings for the veteran's service-connected left wrist and pelvic fracture residuals, finding no compensable residuals.

The Board denied service connection for left knee and right wrist disabilities in August 1997, finding no evidence linking symptoms to service. The appellant's new evidence is not considered material.

The veteran's death was not caused by his service-connected disabilities. The veteran did not meet the criteria for DIC benefits under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1318, and there is no entitlement to dependents' education benefits.

The Board has granted an increased rating for the veteran's right wrist condition, but denied a higher rating for his radial nerve impairment and scars. The veteran is currently rated at 10 percent for limitation of motion of the right wrist.

The Board denied extensions of temporary total evaluations for the veteran's left wrist condition beyond July 1, 1994 and April 1, 1996. The issue regarding a temporary total evaluation beyond June 1, 1997 was remanded.

The Board has denied the veteran's appeals for increased ratings of his chronic lumbar strain and degenerative disc disease of the cervical spine, but granted a compensable rating for postoperative residuals of a ganglion cyst in the right wrist.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for bilateral plantar warts and compensable rating for hemorrhoids, as well as his service connection claims for nerve damage to the hands and wrists (claimed as carpal tunnel syndrome), dizziness (claimed as vertigo and a black-out seizure disorder), and headaches. The clothing allowance claim was denied.

The Board has determined that the veteran's service-connected right wrist carpal tunnel syndrome with reflex sympathetic dystrophy does not warrant a higher rating, and thus denied her claim for an increased rating.

The Board found that the veteran's left wrist disability, which is currently rated at 20 percent under the rating code for ankylosis of the wrist, does not warrant a higher evaluation as his wrist remains fused in a favorable position and he has no more than moderate incomplete paralysis of the carpal tunnel syndrome.

The Board has granted the veteran's claims for increased ratings of 10 percent each for residuals of a right elbow dislocation and a right wrist strain, effective from January 1, 1997.