Wrist & hand Board decisions

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including new VA examinations for his claimed bilateral wrist/hand disabilities and bilateral hearing loss.

The Board has granted service connection for a right wrist disability, but denied service connection for a back disability.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including a new examination to determine the severity of his service-connected right wrist disabilities and scar.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is granted service connection. The left wrist disability is rated at 10% and the low back pain is increased to 10%. These ratings are effective as of February 9, 2016.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to the AOJ for additional development, including scheduling a VA examination and obtaining any missing records. The issues of rating his service-connected right upper extremity carpal tunnel syndrome are being addressed.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's service-connected low back disability and CTS of the right arm are both granted.

The Board found that the Veteran's left wrist, left elbow, low back, and bilateral knee conditions are not causally or etiologically related to any disease, injury, or incident during service.,Service connection was denied for all claimed conditions.

The Veteran's Cesarean section scars are rated as 10 percent disabling. Service connection is granted for bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome and hearing loss, with the latter being assigned a non-compensable rating.

The Veteran's claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities was denied. The Board has now referred the case back to the Director of Compensation Service for consideration of an extraschedular TDIU.

The Veteran's TDIU claim is granted effective May 2016. The Board also dismissed the issues of service connection for a right shoulder disability and bilateral hearing loss as they were withdrawn by the Veteran.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's left carpal tunnel syndrome and left shoulder impingement are not related to his service-connected conditions, and thus denied both claims.

The Veteran's carpal tunnel syndrome of the right and left wrists is currently rated at 20 percent, reflecting moderate impairment.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for his right hand ganglion cyst resection was denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher evaluation, as there were no scars or disfigurement of the head face, neck, or other areas covered by Diagnostic Codes 7800-7805. The Veteran's symptoms related to his service-connected disability are secondary to non-service connected carpal tunnel syndrome and cubital tunnel syndrome.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities preclude him from obtaining or maintaining substantially gainful employment prior to March 14, 2016.

The Veteran's residuals of a left forearm fracture are currently rated at 10 percent, effective from November 1, 2004. The fascial herniation bulge and left wrist strain have both been rated as 10 percent.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining medical records and arranging for a VA examination.

The Veteran's appeals for hyperlipidemia, left wrist disability (carpal tunnel syndrome), left ankle strain, and left knee strain have been withdrawn prior to the Board making a decision.

The Board has remanded the case due to questions regarding secondary service connection for traumatic arthritis of the right wrist, which was previously granted as service-connected navicular fracture. The Veteran needs updated VA treatment records and a VA opinion on whether the arthritis is caused or aggravated by the service-connected condition.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral upper extremity carpal tunnel syndrome is not related to service and therefore denied his claims for service connection.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including sleep apnea, major depression, cervical spine degenerative disc disease, right wrist carpal tunnel syndrome, lumbar spine degenerative disc disease, bladder dysfunction, right shoulder arthritis, allergic rhinitis, left and right lower extremity radiculopathy, hypertension, and pseudofolliculitis barbae, have rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation since June 1, 2012.