The Board denied service connection for osteoarthritis of the lower back, neck, and upper and lower extremities as not related to exposure to cold in service. The Board also denied service connection for residuals of cold injury of the hands due to lack of current disability.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner concluded that the veteran's arthritis was caused by age rather than cold exposure or service.
- Claimed conditions
- osteoarthritis of the lower back, osteoarthritis of the neck, osteoarthritis of the upper and lower extremities, residuals of cold injury of the hands
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 17, 2001
- Citation
- 0113930
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 0113930.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to an inadequate VA examination, requiring further medical opinion and development.
- Dismissed
The Veteran requested to withdraw his appeal for osteoarthritis of the lower back, and the Board dismissed the case as a result.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for osteoarthritis of the neck and lumbosacral spine degenerative joint disease due to lack of substantial compliance with prior remand directives. The VA is required to obtain an adequate medical opinion regarding the etiology of these conditions.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's claims for osteoarthritis of the neck, fingers/hands, and an acquired psychiatric disorder other than PTSD have been granted. The appeal is dismissed as these issues are no longer pending.
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