The Board has determined that there is no current diagnosis of arthritis in the veteran's hands or arms, and thus service connection for these conditions cannot be granted.
The deciding factor: There is no competent medical evidence showing a present disability of arthritis in the veteran's hands or arms.
- Claimed conditions
- Arthritis of the Hands, Arthritis of the Arms
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- April 30, 2002
- Citation
- 0203947
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 0203947.
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: Denied
The Board found no evidence of current disability for the right shoulder disorder, COPD, arthritis of the hands, and arthritis of the right knee. The veteran's claims were denied as there was insufficient medical evidence to establish a nexus between these conditions and his service.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has determined that the veteran's service-connected diabetes mellitus aggravated his hypertensive arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease and arthritis of the hands, knees, and right shoulder. As such, these conditions are granted as secondary to his service-connected diabetes mellitus.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board found that the veteran's arthritis of the right shoulder, bilateral knees, hands, wrists, and hips were not incurred or aggravated by service. The claim for arthritis of the low back was remanded.
- Whole decision: Denied
The veteran's claims for service connection for COPD, laryngitis, and actinic and seborrheic keratoses (claimed as dead skin) are denied due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to his military service. The veteran's arthritis of the hips, hands, and knees is also denied.,The veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD is not addressed in this decision.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.