The Board has determined that new and material evidence has not been received to reopen the veteran's claim for service connection for arthritis of the right hand, on a direct basis and as secondary to his service-connected deformity with unfavorable ankylosis of the right middle finger, limitation of motion, and residuals of shrapnel wound. The February 2002 RO decision denying this claim is final.
The deciding factor: The newly submitted evidence does not relate to an unestablished fact necessary to substantiate the claim for service connection.
- Claimed conditions
- arthritis of the right hand
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 19, 2006
- Citation
- 0611265
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 0611265.
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 veteran withdrew all pending appeals, and the Board has no jurisdiction to review these issues.
- 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.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for right hand disability, claimed as arthritis, due to a lack of evidence showing a current disability during or approximate to the filing of the claim.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for arthritis of the right and left hands to schedule a VA examination.
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