Wrist & hand Board decisions

The Veteran's claims for a right wrist/hand disorder, warts of the right middle and little fingers, and myopia, astigmatism, and refractive error have all been denied as there is no current evidence of these conditions.

The Board has withdrawn the Veteran's appeal for service connection for sinusitis. Service connection is granted for left upper extremity carpal tunnel syndrome, right upper extremity carpal tunnel syndrome, and an acquired psychiatric disability (including PTSD, depression, and a nervous condition).

The Veteran's claims for depression, left wrist pain, and right wrist scar have been remanded due to the need for additional examinations and consideration of new evidence. The decision is mixed as some issues are granted while others are remanded.

The Veteran's right wrist tendonitis and carpal tunnel syndrome have worsened, requiring a new examination to determine the current severity of her service-connected disabilities.

The Board has reopened the claims for service connection due to new and material evidence, but has remanded them for further development as there is insufficient evidence to determine if any of the claimed conditions are related to service or a service-connected disability.

The Veteran's joint pain is not due to an undiagnosed illness. The Board finds that the preponderance of evidence does not support service connection for unspecified joint pain.,The Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of fibromyalgia and there is no evidence showing it began during service or is otherwise related to in-service injury, event, or disease.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for left knee disability, right wrist disability, and sleep apnea due to a procedural error in activating his appeal under the modernized review system.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claims for service connection for arthritis of his right wrist and right shoulder, umbilical hernia, bilateral hearing loss, bilateral knee osteoarthritis, and tinnitus. The effective dates for these conditions are set to February 3, 2014.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and initial ratings are being remanded due to the failure of VA to contact him at his new address in Georgia. The examinations scheduled for June 2018 have not been conducted, and a copy of the Supplemental Statement of the Case (SSOC) was sent to two prior addresses in South Carolina.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient evidence regarding the etiology of his claimed conditions. The Veteran will be provided with additional examinations and opinions.

The Veteran's claim for an evaluation in excess of 10 percent for a right wrist disability is denied as there is no evidence of ankylosis, and the current rating adequately reflects his functional limitations.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been reopened, but the Board has determined that additional development is needed in order to make a fully informed decision on these issues.

The Veteran's appeals for a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss prior to October 1, 2015 and a rating in excess of 70 percent for PTSD are dismissed. The Veteran's claim for service connection for vertigo is granted. The Veteran's claims for a rating in excess of 10 percent for hearing loss, service connection for carpal tunnel syndrome (left upper extremity), service connection for carpal tunnel syndrome (right upper extremity), and service connection for unspecified disability to account for joint pain of all joints are remanded.

The Board has determined that the Veteran should be afforded new VA examinations to determine the nature and etiology of his right knee disability, left CTS, and right CTS. The claims are being remanded for these purposes.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to insufficient evidence and need for further examination.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is secondary to his service-connected PTSD and residuals of right wrist fracture with chronic sprain. However, further clarification on whether these conditions caused or aggravated OSA is needed.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims due to errors in their duty to assist and failure to provide adequate reasons or bases for denying a separate rating for his right elbow disability under applicable diagnostic codes.

The Veteran's claims for service connection were denied. The Board found no new and material evidence to reopen the claim for hypertension, and denied all other claims due to lack of a causal relationship between the conditions and service.

The Board denied service connection for back, right knee, right hip, and right wrist disorders due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to service or any other basis.

The Board has granted the Veteran's request to reopen claims for service connection for various conditions, including right ear hearing loss, left wrist disorder, low back disorder, cervical spine disorder, traumatic cognitive disorder (mental disorder due to traumatic fall), seizure disorder, and left knee disorder. The appeals are now remanded for further development.