The Board found that arthritis of the left hand was not incurred in or aggravated by active service, and is not linked to any incident of service. The Board also determined that it is less likely than not that the veteran's arthritis of the left hand was caused or aggravated by his service-connected gouty arthritis of the right foot.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner concluded that the veteran's arthritis of the left hand did not begin during service and was not linked to any incident of active duty. The examiner also found no evidence that the veteran's arthritis of the left hand was caused or aggravated by his service-connected gouty arthritis of the right foot.
- Claimed conditions
- arthritis of the left hand
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 14, 2006
- Citation
- 0607367
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,419 · Granted: 21% (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 0607367.
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.
- Dismissed
The Board has dismissed the Veteran's appeals for service connection and increased rating claims due to a concurrent election under the Appeals Modernization Act (AMA). The issues were docketed in error as the AOJ was still reviewing them.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including arthritis of the entire skeletal system (other than cervical spine, right shoulder, bilateral hands, and left foot), a left knee condition (other than arthritis), and other specific joints. The claims were not granted.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for arthritis of the right and left hands to schedule a VA examination.
- Partly granted
The appeal for an earlier effective date for PTSD was dismissed. The claims for service connection for various conditions were remanded for further evaluation.
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.