The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for arthritis in the left shoulder and both hands, finding that there is no evidence of arthritis during or within one year after service.
The deciding factor: The preponderance of the evidence shows that arthritis was not present during service and within one year after separation from service.
- Claimed conditions
- arthritis in the left shoulder, arthritis of both hands
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- October 5, 2000
- Citation
- 0026730
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. Search VA.gov for the original decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 0026730.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the cases due to insufficient examination opinions and unclear diagnoses. The Veteran's myofascial syndrome, left shoulder disability, and chronic fatigue syndrome are all being reviewed for potential service connection.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to the need for clarification on whether the Veteran's left shoulder disability is caused by or has been incrementally increased in severity by his service-connected lumbar spine or cervical spine disabilities.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's service connection claims for various joint disabilities, including arthritis of the hands, feet, legs, and shoulders, were granted. The conditions are considered to be due to natural progression or injury during service.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's arthritis of both hands is service-connected, as it is considered to be at least as likely as not due to his normal course of aging rather than being incurred in or aggravated by service.
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