The Board found that the veteran's arthritis of both hands, including residuals of a right hand injury incurred in service, is at least as likely as not related to military service.
The deciding factor: The pre-existing right hand injury worsened during service and resulted in current arthritis of the right hand. The left hand arthritis was also found to be related to service.
- Claimed conditions
- Arthritis of the right hand including the ring finger, Degenerative arthritis of the left hand
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 0%
- Decision date
- March 28, 2006
- Citation
- 0608845
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,435 · Granted: 22% (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 0608845.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for all claimed conditions as there was no evidence of a current disability, in-service incurrence or aggravation, and no nexus between the current disabilities and military service.
- Granted
The Veteran's claims for service connection have been granted, and he is now rated at a 10% disability evaluation for his degenerative arthritis of the right hand and left hand, as well as carpal tunnel syndrome in both upper extremities. The rating for his right ear hearing loss remains noncompensable.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to inconsistencies in the medical opinions regarding the etiology of the Veteran's left hand degenerative arthritis. The Veteran is seeking service connection for this condition, which he attributes to his service-connected knee and back disabilities.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to inadequate VA opinions and insufficient evidence. The Veteran's reports of in-service injuries and post-service symptoms will be considered.
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