Wrist & hand Board decisions

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not prevent him from finding and following substantially gainful employment.

The Board has remanded several claims for service connection due to the need for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling VA examinations.

The Veteran's allergic rhinitis is not compensable as there are no polyps or significant nasal obstruction.,Bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome was not incurred during service and is not related to any in-service injury, event, or disease. The condition began many years after separation from active duty.,Obstructive sleep apnea was not diagnosed during service and the Veteran did not have a CPAP machine prescribed for this condition while on active duty.,Diabetic nephropathy with hypertension is not considered to be proximately due to, the result of, or aggravated beyond its natural progression by service-connected disability. The Veteran does not meet the requirement of presumed herbicide exposure as per 38 C.F.R. § 3.309(e).,Bilateral lower extremity peripheral neuropathy is not considered to be proximately due to, the result of, or aggravated beyond its natural progression by service-connected disability.,Bilateral upper extremity peripheral neuropathy is not considered to be proximately due to, the result of, or aggravated beyond its natural progression by service-connected disability.

The Veteran's claims for service connection of a right wrist condition and throat condition are being remanded due to the submission of new evidence.,The claim for secondary service connection of a deviated septum is also being remanded.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for arthritis of various joints, all secondary to his service-connected psoriasis. The appeals are remanded for further development regarding an increased rating for psoriasis.

The rating for bilateral hearing loss was improperly reduced, and the original 50% rating is restored. The right hand/wrist disability claim has been remanded due to insufficient evidence.

The Board denied the Veteran's request for additional vocational rehabilitation and employment benefits, including a change in his long-range goal to obtain a master’s degree in Physics. The decision concluded that achieving maximum rehabilitation gain (MRG) had been met and that changing the long-range goal would not be more likely to improve his situation.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss, left wrist disability, and respiratory disability (claimed as COPD) due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to service.

The Board has denied service connection for carpal tunnel syndrome of both the right and left upper extremities, finding that there is no evidence to support a link between these conditions and active duty service.

The Veteran's tinnitus is granted as service-connected.,A 10% rating for the right wrist disability from December 2, 2012 is granted. The Veteran also has two painful scars of the right knee that are rated at 10%. However, a higher rating for the right wrist disability remains pending due to additional issues needing clarification.

The Veteran's service connection claims for left wrist disability, left shoulder disability, left knee disability, GERD, and major depressive disorder with anxious distress were granted effective July 10, 2015. The Board denied the Veteran's requests for earlier effective dates.

The Board has remanded the claims for increased ratings for right shoulder sprain, right wrist sprain, and right ankle sprain due to a lack of an SSOC. The issue of service connection for a stomach/esophageus disorder is also remanded as it requires a VA addendum opinion.

The Board has granted service connection for a right shoulder disability and a right wrist disability, finding that the evidence is at least evenly balanced as to whether these disabilities are related to service.,Both conditions were diagnosed post-service, but the Veteran provided competent and credible lay evidence of in-service injuries and continuity of symptoms.

The Board denied service connection for left wrist arthritis and a rating in excess of 10 percent for residuals of left scaphoid fracture.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for right wrist strain with joint pain and decreased range of motion is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining updated VA treatment records.

Service connection for chest pain has been granted. Service connection for arthritis of the left and right ankles, elbows, hands/fingers, toes/feet, and wrists remains pending.,An effective date of August 24, 2012 is granted for service connection for PTSD.

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

The Veteran's appeal for TDIU due to gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is dismissed as his PTSD, which he claimed for TDIU, has been rated at 100% since June 30, 2010. The issue of service connection for GERD is also dismissed as the benefit sought on appeal has been granted.

The Board has granted service connection for peripheral neuropathy of the right upper extremity as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected right wrist degenerative joint disease, status post-operative residuals of nonunion fracture scaphoid.