The VA determined that the veteran's loss of use of both hands due to fasciectomies for bilateral Dupuytren's disease was not caused by VA hospital care, medical or surgical treatment, and thus denied his claim under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151.
The deciding factor: The VA found that the veteran's current hand problems were not due to the surgeries performed at VA facilities, but rather attributed them to other factors such as alcohol abuse and myopathy from cancer.
- Claimed conditions
- Dupuytren's disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 16, 2003
- Citation
- 0301002
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 191 · Granted: 32% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 0301002.
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 claims for service connection for heart disability, prostate cancer, and Dupuytren's disease due to a need to determine if the Veteran was exposed to Agent Orange while serving on the U.S.S. Constellation.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining a VA examination to determine if any current left knee condition is related to service and whether it was caused or aggravated by service-connected conditions. The Veteran's claim for Dupuytren's disease will also be reviewed.
- Denied
The Veteran's Dupuytren's disease and residuals of excisions of benign nodules of the knuckle pads of the hands are manifested by subjective complaints of pain and objective evidence of some limitation of motion, but there is no objective evidence of arthritis or compensable limitation of motion. The criteria for an increased (compensable) rating have not been met.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
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.