Wrist & hand Board decisions

The Veteran is currently in receipt of a 30% rating for her right shoulder disability, effective January 13, 2015. She contends that the shoulder disability increased in severity prior to this date.,The Veteran is currently in receipt of a 30% rating for carpal tunnel syndrome of the right hand, effective January 2, 2015. She contests the effective date.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection for right wrist carpel tunnel syndrome, left wrist carpel tunnel syndrome, and PTSD were dismissed due to withdrawal. The appeal for reopening of service connection for PTSD was granted, but the claim for service connection for PTSD itself was denied. Appeals for service connection for right hip disorder, right knee disorder, and right foot disorder were remanded.

The Veteran's right wrist disability is not service-connected.,Service connection for sleep apnea has been granted based on a diagnosis after service and exposure to burn pit smoke during service.

The Board has granted service connection for left wrist arthritis, as residuals of a left hand injury other than neurological impairment.,The Board has also granted service connection for neurological impairment of the upper left extremity, including nerve compression syndrome and carpal tunnel syndrome.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for bilateral elbow, wrist, knee, ankle disabilities and lumbar disability due to lack of compliance with prior remand directives. A VA examination is required to determine if these conditions are related to service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including obstructive sleep apnea with COPD and irritable bowel syndrome, have rendered him unable to maintain substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's appeals were remanded due to the need for further evaluation and evidence. The right wrist condition remains rated at 10 percent, while the left foot condition is also currently rated at 10 percent.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's lumbar spine, cervical spine, and bilateral hip disabilities are not service connected as they did not manifest during or within one year after service. The right hand/wrist disorder is also not service connected due to lack of continuity of symptomatology.

The appeal of service connection for sleep apnea is dismissed. The appeals for right wrist injury, neck injury, left hip injury, right ankle injury, and left ankle injury are remanded.

The Board denied service connection for arthritis of both ankles, bilateral elbow disability, and left hand disability as secondary to residuals of left knee injury with instability.

The Veteran's appeals seeking revision of the March 1995 rating decision regarding hypertension, left ventricular hypertrophy, seborrheic dermatitis of the face and scalp, and right hand and wrist rash on the basis of CUE have been dismissed based on res judicata.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for further development due to inadequate or incomplete examination reports and other procedural issues.

The Board dismissed the Veteran's petitions to reopen previously denied claims for various conditions, as he did not timely file a substantive appeal within the required time frame.

The Board has determined that additional development is necessary to properly adjudicate the Veteran's claims for service connection. The RO must obtain updated VA treatment records from various facilities and associate them with the claims file.

The Board denied service connection for right carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) and remanded the issue of earlier effective date for total disability individual unemployability (TDIU) on an extra-schedular basis due to service-connected disabilities prior to April 6, 2010.

The Board has remanded the claims for high cholesterol, PTSD, left carpal tunnel syndrome, scar from cesarean sections, hysterectomy, left oophorectomy, tinnitus, pelvic pain after childbirth, right shoulder dislocation, rhinitis and sinusitis (claimed as allergies), bilateral plantar fasciitis, hypertension, eczema, lumbar spine arthritis, cervical spine arthritis, right carpal tunnel syndrome, and severe alopecia (claimed as cicatrical scarring alopecia) for additional development to verify service records.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have resulted in a permanent and total disability that precludes locomotion without the aid of assistive devices, such as a wheelchair or cane. The Board has granted specially adapted housing for this reason.

The Veteran's appeal for a rating in excess of 40 percent for degenerative disc disease, lumbar spine has been dismissed.,The Veteran's appeal for limitation of motion for right wrist has been dismissed.,The Veteran's appeals for service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus have been dismissed.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claim for left hand carpal tunnel syndrome due to insufficient evidence regarding its onset and relationship to service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a right wrist disability, finding that his disability was not incurred in or aggravated by military service due to willful misconduct.