Wrist & hand Board decisions

The Board has granted service connection for internal derangement of the right knee, left knee, right wrist strain, and right shoulder strain. The Veteran's current diagnoses are consistent with his in-service complaints.

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings and service connection were denied. The hearing loss claim was not granted, the wrist disability and wrist scar claims resulted in noncompensable ratings, and the ankle condition claims remained denied.

The Board denied service connection for a right wrist disability and hypertension, finding that both conditions were preexisting and not aggravated by service. The motion alleging clear and unmistakable error (CUE) was denied.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for osteochondritis of the right ankle, right wrist strain, and traumatic brain injury with residual post-concussion headaches were denied. The appeals are based on direct service connection.

The Veteran's claims for service connection were denied. The Board found no evidence of a chronic psychiatric disorder, left ankle disorder, or liver disorder in service and concluded that the current conditions are not related to service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's carpal tunnel syndrome is related to his military service and grants service connection for this condition.

The Board denied service connection for tinnitus, left ear hearing loss, right ear hearing loss, and carpal tunnel syndrome of the right hand. The Veteran's current conditions were not shown to be related to his military service.

The Board finds that the Veteran's left wrist disability, including malunion of the distal radius, is not due to fault on the part of VA in furnishing medical treatment and was not the result of an event not reasonably foreseeable.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for various musculoskeletal conditions have been denied as there is no evidence of a current disability or a link to military service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining updated medical records and providing supplemental opinions regarding the etiology of his right hand and right wrist disabilities.

The Veteran's claim for SMC at the housebound rate has been denied as he does not have a single disability rated as 100 percent or a TDIU based on a single disability. The evidence shows that his disabilities do not render him permanently housebound.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for his service-connected degenerative joint disease of the right wrist status post fusion with scar is denied as he is already receiving the maximum schedular rating.

The Veteran's claims for annual clothing allowances for the 2012 and 2013 calendar years are denied as there is no evidence that his prescribed orthopedic appliances or topical medication caused wear and tear on his clothing.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for his service-connected left wrist disability is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining updated VA treatment records and scheduling a new VA examination.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for a left shoulder disability, right wrist strain, right knee disability, staphylococcus infection, and left calf tear. The claim for an acquired psychiatric disorder was not reopened, as no new and material evidence was submitted within one year of the denial. Similarly, the claim for headache syndrome was also not reopened. However, the claim for a skin disability was reopened due to the submission of new and material evidence.

The Veteran's service-connected right wrist arthritis does not warrant a higher rating, and his TDIU claim is denied.

The Veteran does not have a diagnosed elbow, wrist, or ankle disability, to include fibromyalgia, that was caused by her service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling VA examinations to assess the severity of her service-connected lumbar spine, left knee, right knee, and left wrist disabilities.

The Veteran's service-connected mechanical low back pain, right wrist sprain, left wrist injury residuals, and postoperative residuals of a fracture of the left ankle are all rated at 10 percent. The Veteran is granted increased ratings to 20 percent for his mechanical low back pain from July 31, 2014.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further examination and opinion regarding his ability to secure and follow substantially gainful employment due to service-connected disabilities.