Wrist & hand Board decisions

The Veteran's appeal for increased ratings and service connection has been dismissed as he withdrew his claims. A total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disorders is granted.

The Board has determined that the VA examinations are inadequate and remands the case for further development, including obtaining additional medical records and providing the Veteran with new VA examinations to assess his service-connected carpal tunnel syndrome, right wrist; carpal tunnel syndrome, left wrist; right hand strain; left hand strain; and degenerative arthritis, left wrist.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to insufficient evidence. The Veteran's TBI, upper back disability, and carpal tunnel syndrome are all being reviewed again.

The Board denied service connection for a left leg and knee disorder, right knee disorder, hypertension (claimed as high blood pressure), left arm carpal tunnel syndrome, and sleep disorder.,An initial disability rating of 30 percent was granted for right ulnar nerve compression.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for further development and examination, including obtaining treatment records and conducting medical examinations to determine the severity of his renal disease and any arthritis diagnoses. The Veteran will be provided a new Supplemental Statement of the Case if benefits remain denied.

The Veteran's request for a rating in excess of 10 percent for his left wrist disability is denied.,The Veteran's request for a rating in excess of 10 percent for his left knee disability limited flexion is denied. However, he is granted a separate rating of 20 percent disabling for residuals of the left knee disability (instability) from September 10, 2018 onward.

The Veteran's appeal for an initial compensable rating for a right index finger sprain has been dismissed due to his withdrawal of the appeal. The claims for a rating in excess of 10 percent for a right wrist sprain and for an initial compensable rating for a right upper extremity scar associated with a service-connected right wrist sprain are remanded.

The Veteran's left wrist condition is rated at the maximum level, and his right ankle sprain warrants a 10 percent evaluation. The claim for service connection for PTSD has been reopened due to new evidence, but further development is needed before it can be adjudicated.

The Board has dismissed the claim of entitlement to a TDIU due to withdrawal by the Veteran's accredited representative. The remaining issues have been remanded for further development and consideration.

The Veteran's service connection claims for various conditions, including lumbar spine condition (claimed as back condition), GERD, mental disorder (claimed as depressive illness), hyperlipidemia, left and right carpal tunnel syndrome, left and right hip arthritis, bilateral knee arthritis, discoid lupus erythematosus, hypertension, sleep apnea, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus have been denied. The Veteran's lumbar spine condition is not service connected due to lack of evidence showing it was incurred or aggravated during service.

The Board has decided that the Veteran does not have a current broken right wrist or right knee disability and therefore denied service connection for these conditions. The issues of service connection for broken right wrist and right knee injury are being remanded to obtain additional medical opinions.

The Board has remanded several issues related to the Veteran's claims, including service connection for various conditions and an increased rating for a left ankle disability. The Veteran is required to submit statements of the case (SOC) for some claims and must be given an opportunity to perfect his appeal.

The Veteran's application to reopen the previously denied claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss has been granted. The claims for service connection for myositis, cervical strain (neck disability), spinal stenosis, left knee degenerative arthritis, right knee degenerative arthritis, sinusitis, COPD, edema, GERD, bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome and nerve disability, an acquired psychiatric disability, and bronchitis have all been denied.

The Veteran's claims for service connection were denied as there was insufficient evidence of an in-service disease or injury and a current disability. The new evidence received since the November 2014 rating decision did not raise a reasonable possibility of substantiating any of the claims.

The Veteran's claim for a disability rating in excess of 40 percent for the residuals of a right ankle fracture was dismissed as he withdrew his appeal.,His claim for service connection for a left wrist condition is granted, but remanded due to insufficient evidence.

The Veteran's hypertension, carpal tunnel syndrome (left upper extremity), left elbow post-surgical scars, PTSD, right elbow disability, and right knee chondromalacia have all been denied.,No effective date has been established for any of the service-connected conditions.

Service connection for PTSD is granted.,The Veteran's left wrist disability, sleep apnea, headaches, and hypertension are remanded for further examination and analysis.

The Board denied service connection for various disabilities, including lower back, left arm, right arm, left wrist, right wrist, left-hand, and right-hand conditions. The reasons given were that there was no evidence of these conditions during service or within the applicable presumptive period.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection and initial ratings for bilateral upper and lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, as well as his claim for a higher rating for carpal tunnel syndrome in both upper extremities. The decision also noted that TDIU was not granted prior to March 2018.

The Board has remanded several issues related to the Veteran's service connection claims, including for neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities, cervical spine, wrist, hip, knee, skin condition, Gulf War syndrome, and PTSD. The Veteran is asked to provide additional information about his treatment and stressors during service.