Wrist & hand Board decisions

The Veteran's claims for service connection have all been denied due to lack of new and material evidence.,There is no indication that any exposure basis (e.g., burn pit, Agent Orange, Camp Lejeune) played a role in the development of any of these conditions.

The Board denied reopening the Veteran's claim for service connection for a head injury and found that new evidence did not raise a reasonable possibility of substantiating the claim. The right wrist disability was also denied, with no rating assigned.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a chronic chest injury disability and service connection for right carpal tunnel syndrome is granted as it was of in-service onset.

The Board found that the Veteran's left CTS did not have its onset during active service or as a result of active service, and it was not caused by or aggravated by service-connected shell fragment wound to the right elbow and forearm or residuals of right median nerve laceration.

The Board has granted service connection for left arm disorder and right hand/arm carpal tunnel syndrome, with a rating of 30 percent effective from April 24, 1997.

The Board has granted service connection for a left wrist disability, a low back disability, and a bilateral hip disability.,All reasonable doubts have been resolved in favor of the Veteran regarding her current disabilities.

The Veteran's service-connected left carpal tunnel syndrome and calcium chip-like deposits in the elbows are rated at 20% and 10%, respectively, prior to April 20, 2017. The Board denied higher ratings for these conditions.

The Board denied a higher rating for the Veteran's left wrist disability, finding no evidence of unfavorable ankylosis and concluding that the current range of motion findings do not meet criteria for a higher rating.

The Board found no evidence of a right shoulder disability, headaches, sleep apnea, tinnitus, right hand disability, bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome, back disability, neuropathy, allergies, arthritis, or erectile dysfunction that were incurred in service. The Veteran's current conditions are not presumed to have been incurred due to the lack of showing within one year post-service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have residuals of a head injury/TBI, and therefore service connection for this condition is denied. The remaining claims regarding increased ratings for left wrist ganglionectomy and fractures of the fourth metacarpal of the left hand are also addressed.

The Board has remanded the case for further development and consideration of the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome, including an examination to address whether it is at least as likely as not that the condition had its onset during active duty or if it qualifies as a disease of the nervous system.

The Board found no current right wrist disability and denied service connection for a right wrist condition, concluding that the Veteran's symptoms were not related to his military service.

The Veteran's right and left carpal tunnel syndrome were granted service connection, with a 10% rating assigned. The left elbow disorder was also granted service connection.

The Board denied service connection for myofascial pain syndrome and right wrist disability (carpal tunnel syndrome) as there is no competent evidence of an in-service injury or event.

The Veteran's right carpal tunnel syndrome is rated at a 30 percent evaluation for the entire appeal period, but no higher.

The Board finds that the reduction of the rating for right cubital tunnel syndrome from 10% to noncompensable effective December 10, 2011 was proper at the time. The Veteran's other disabilities were recharacterized and assigned more favorable evaluations.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not cause his death. The appellant is seeking DIC benefits under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1318, but the criteria for this benefit have not been met as the Veteran was not rated at a 100% disability level continuously for at least ten years immediately preceding his death.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for vertigo, bilateral hearing loss, PTSD, sleep apnea, left knee disorder, and carpal tunnel syndrome were denied. The Veteran's claim for TDIU was added to the issues on appeal.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and a compensable rating for his right shoulder disability are being remanded due to the need for additional examination. His stomach disorder and right wrist disability claims remain pending.

The Board finds that the evidence is at least evenly balanced as to whether the Veteran's current bilateral CTS is related to active military service. As the reasonable doubt created by this relative equipoise in the evidence must be resolved in favor of the Veteran, entitlement to service connection for bilateral CTS is granted.