Wrist & hand Board decisions

The Board has granted service connection for right wrist arthritis and carpal tunnel syndrome, right upper extremity. The Veteran's current right wrist arthritis is found to be secondary to his service-connected residuals of right wrist fracture. Carpal tunnel syndrome was denied as not related to the in-service injury.

The Veteran is granted a clothing allowance for the year 2015 due to his use of a VA-issued right wrist brace, which tends to wear or tear his clothes.

The Board has dismissed the claims of service connection for right forearm and increased rating for right wrist due to lack of timely notice of disagreement. The issue of service connection for residuals of TBI is remanded due to a duty-to-assist error.

The Board has denied service connection for right hand carpal tunnel disability. The claims of service connection for irritable bowel syndrome and bladder disability are remanded.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection on three specific conditions (right wrist limitation of motion, back pain, and bilateral arm numbness) have been dismissed due to the death of the Veteran during the appeal process.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claims to reopen for service connection for right wrist disability, left wrist disability, and bilateral foot disability. The appeals are remanded for further development.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for hand, wrist, and shoulder conditions as secondary to his service-connected bilateral knee patellofemoral syndrome due to lack of a diagnosis and need for clarification on functional impairment.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient information on the functional impact of the Veteran's right wrist neurological disability during flare-ups.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been received to reopen the Veteran's claim for service connection of a left shoulder disability. However, the claim remains denied as there is insufficient evidence to establish a nexus between the current condition and his period of service.

The Board has denied service connection for back, right knee, left shoulder, right shoulder, right wrist, and bilateral plantar fasciitis disabilities as there is no evidence of current diagnoses or a link to service.

The Board denied service connection for left and right carpal tunnel syndrome, finding that the Veteran's conditions were not incurred or aggravated by active service. The decision also noted that the Veteran's complaints of hand pain during deployment did not allow for a definitive diagnosis.

The Veteran's TDIU claim is granted as his service-connected disabilities, particularly PTSD, have rendered him unable to maintain any form of substantially gainful employment consistent with his education and occupational background.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's left wrist disability, and a new examination is needed.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for increased evaluations and service connection due to inadequate VA examinations in November 2012.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for conditions affecting the middle finger of the left hand, right wrist, left foot, and lumbar spine due to a lack of in-service medical records. The Veteran attributes these conditions to a motor vehicle accident during service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have been assigned an effective date of January 1, 2017, which is the day after his separation from active duty.,The Veteran has filed a claim for earlier effective dates for various service-connected conditions. The Board finds that these claims are denied as the earliest possible effective date allowed by law is January 1, 2017.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's left knee disability, and further examination is needed.

The Board denied service connection for right wrist and right-hand conditions, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, respiratory condition (due to asbestosis exposure), hepatitis C, deep muscle pain, and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS).,Service connection was not granted for any of the claimed conditions.

The Board has granted service connection for carpal tunnel syndrome of the right and left upper extremities as secondary to the service-connected diabetes mellitus disability.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for unspecified depressive disorder was denied. The Board found no evidence indicating that the Veteran filed a claim prior to July 25, 2013, and thus could not assign an earlier effective date. For the TDIU issue, the Board determined that there was at least equipoise evidence showing that the Veteran's service-connected disabilities prevented him from securing and following substantially gainful employment prior to February 27, 2019.