The Board found that the veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for osteoarthritis of the hands and ankles is not well grounded, as there is no evidence of current disability or in-service injury related to these conditions.
The deciding factor: There was insufficient medical evidence to support a finding of service connection for osteoarthritis of the hands and ankles.
- Claimed conditions
- osteoarthritis of the hands, osteoarthritis of the ankles
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 16, 2000
- Citation
- 0012939
This is a plain-language summary generated by AI from a public Board of Veterans’ Appeals decision. It can contain errors — always verify against the original. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 0012939.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Veteran's osteoarthritis of the hands is granted as service connected, with no specific rating assigned and effective date not determined.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate opinions regarding the relationship between current osteoarthritis and service. The Veteran's active service is believed to have caused joint pain shortly after service, but there are missing records that need to be reviewed by a clinician.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for osteoarthritis of the cervical spine, lumbar spine, hands, and feet. The radiculopathy of both lower extremities is also service connected as secondary to the service-connected osteoarthritis of the lumbar spine. Service connection was denied for rheumatoid arthritis and a respiratory disorder (COPD and asthma).
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for osteoarthritis of the hands and feet as secondary to service-connected frostbite residuals.
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