Wrist & hand Board decisions

The Veteran's claims for service connection for traumatic arthritis of the right knee, bilateral hearing loss, type II diabetes mellitus, and peripheral neuropathy have been denied.,No effective date has been assigned as all claims are denied.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for a bilateral hand/wrist disorder and sinus disorder due to inadequate development in prior VA examinations.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for right wrist disability, finding that there was no evidence of a chronic condition related to his in-service injury and considering his post-service occupation as a mechanic likely contributed to his current disability.

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings for his right and left wrist disabilities, left varicocele, and tension headaches have been denied. The back disability is not rated as it does not meet the criteria.

The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral wrist condition and low back condition are not related to service, and denied both claims.

The Board has remanded the claims for increased evaluations for left and right wrist disabilities, as well as the claim for TDIU due to inextricably intertwined issues. The Veteran needs an updated VA examination of his bilateral wrist disabilities.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been granted, and the issues of entitlement to increased ratings and TDIU are being remanded for further development.

The Veteran's service connection claims for left and right upper extremity carpal tunnel syndrome were denied as there is no current diagnosis of these conditions.,Service connection was granted for tinnitus, with the condition being presumed due to exposure to noise during active duty.

The Veteran's PTSD is rated at 50 percent prior to July 12, 2016 and 70 percent from July 12, 2016 onwards. The Veteran was granted a compensable rating for his bilateral hearing loss. Service connection was established for the lumbar spine disorder as secondary to PTSD with depressive disorder and alcohol use disorder.

The Veteran's claim for service connection of a left shoulder disability is denied as there is no evidence linking the current condition to service.,Her right wrist tendonitis has been rated at its maximum schedular rating (10%) and further evaluation is needed due to worsening symptoms.,The Veteran’s right hand weakness, which she claims is secondary to her right wrist tendonitis, was not addressed in the most recent VA examination. Further evaluation is required to determine if it should be service-connected.,Her low back disability has been rated at 40% and a higher rating is sought due to worsening symptoms since the last VA examination.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection on multiple conditions have been withdrawn and are dismissed. The claim of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder has been reopened, but not granted.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for fibromyalgia, bilateral knee disabilities, and right wrist arthritis have been granted. The case is remanded for further development regarding the rating of left leg lymphedema, initial compensable rating for right thumb degenerative joint disease, service connection for bilateral knee disabilities, and entitlement to TDIU.

The Board has decided to remand the cases for further development and examination. The Veteran's claims of service connection for carpal tunnel syndrome, a rating in excess of 30 percent for sarcoidosis, and TDIU are all being remanded.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development and examination to determine if any of the Veteran's claimed conditions are related to service.

The Board has granted a second clothing allowance for calendar year 2016 for the use of topical creams used to treat service-connected burns on the right and left arms and hands, finding that the cocoa butter cream causes an increased rate of damage to outer garments compared to a back brace.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for effective dates earlier than June 29, 2011, for grant of service connection for left knee strain with DJD and right wrist tenosynovitis with DJD. The issues of an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for left knee strain with DJD and right wrist tenosynovitis with DJD are remanded.

The Veteran's claims for higher ratings for various service-connected conditions were denied. The lumbar sprain and cervical spine degenerative arthritis prior to August 24, 2011 are rated at 20 percent each, but not higher. Other conditions have been denied.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have rendered him unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation, warranting the grant of TDIU.

The Veteran was granted a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities prior to September 19, 2017.

The Veteran's asthma disability is currently rated at 10 percent, and the Board finds that a higher rating is not warranted.,For his bilateral elbow, wrist, knee, and ankle disabilities, additional evidence is needed to determine if they are related to service.