Wrist & hand Board decisions

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for right wrist disability has been granted. The appeal for service connection for right knee patella femoral syndrome was withdrawn prior to the Board's decision.

The Board has remanded this case for additional development, including a comprehensive vocational assessment and functional capacity evaluation to determine the Veteran's ability to perform in his occupational field given his service-connected disabilities.

The Board found that the Veteran's current left wrist disability is not related to his in-service surgery and denied service connection.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's left wrist disability does not meet or approximate the criteria for a rating in excess of 10 percent, as there is no evidence of ankylosis or impairment approximating ankylosis. The current 10% rating adequately reflects the functional limitations and symptoms associated with the Veteran's condition.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities prior to September 25, 2012 prevented him from securing and following substantially gainful employment.

The Board found that the Veteran's current right wrist, knee, and ankle disorders were not incurred in or aggravated by service. The evidence did not support a finding of direct service connection.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for arthritis of multiple joints, right wrist disability, and obstructive sleep apnea are being remanded due to the need for additional development.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right wrist neurological disability does not warrant a rating in excess of 20 percent, and his orthopedic component of the right wrist disability does not meet the criteria for an extraschedular evaluation.

The Veteran's cervical strain with mild degenerative changes at C4-5 and C5-6, lumbar strain, right shoulder disability, and bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy have been rated as 20 percent for the period prior to May 20, 2014. Effective May 20, 2014, a 20 percent rating has been assigned for cervical strain with mild degenerative changes at C4-5 and C5-6.

The Veteran does not have a current right hand disability other than carpal tunnel syndrome and cervical radiculopathy, which are already service-connected. The Board finds the preponderance of evidence against a finding of a separate right hand disability.

The Veteran's lumbar spine disability is currently rated at 40% and the Board finds that a higher rating is warranted for this condition. The Veteran was also granted service connection for Hepatitis C, an upper back disorder as secondary to degenerative disc disease (DDD), and upper extremity pain as secondary to a service connected right wrist disability.

The Board finds that the Appellant's lumbar spine disorder and bilateral hand neurological disorders are not related to his service, as there is no evidence of a chronic condition during service or continuity of symptomatology after service. The VA examiners concluded that these conditions were less likely caused by or aggravated by military service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for erectile dysfunction, coronary artery disease, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia. The decision also denied entitlement to SMC at the housebound rate as there was no single disability rated as 100% disabling or a TDIU rating based on multiple disabilities.

The Veteran's service-connected conditions do not render him unemployable due to their combined effect, as his overall disability rating is at least 70% and he has the ability to perform substantially gainful employment.

The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hand disability, including arthritis and carpal tunnel syndrome, is not related to his service or secondary to his service-connected residuals of a tear of the collateral ligament of the left thumb and associated degenerative disease of the left thumb. As such, he was denied service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to the Agency of Original Jurisdiction (AOJ) for further action, including scheduling a Board videoconference hearing.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not meet the criteria for financial assistance in the purchase of an automobile or other conveyance and adaptive equipment, or for adaptive equipment only.

The Veteran's application for a total disability rating based on individual employability (TDIU) due to service-connected disabilities was granted effective May 6, 1994. The Board found that the evidence supported the conclusion that the Veteran was unable to secure and follow substantially gainful employment due to his service-connected disabilities.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for residuals of a left wrist injury, including arthritis and a ganglion cyst. The evidence does not support a link between current conditions and active service.

The Board has granted an extension of the temporary total rating based on post-surgical convalescence for the Veteran's left wrist disability from November 1, 2007 through April 16, 2008.