The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a bilateral hand or palm disability, finding that there was no evidence linking his current Raynaud's phenomenon to his military service.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner opined that the Veteran's Raynaud's phenomenon is less likely than not related to the in-service abrasions and that the delay in seeking treatment for over 30 years further supports this conclusion.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hand or palm disability, Raynaud's phenomenon
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 9, 2009
- Citation
- 0904599
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.
- Denied
The Board denied an effective date prior to November 1, 2021, for the award of a 40 percent rating for Raynaud's phenomenon.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for Raynaud's phenomenon as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected hypothyroidism.
- Dismissed
The veteran withdrew the appeals for service connection and initial rating of several conditions, including CREST scleroderma, Raynaud's phenomenon, generalized anxiety disorder, and tachycardia.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a higher rating for Raynaud's phenomenon to obtain an adequate medical opinion addressing conflicting evidence in the record.
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