The Veteran's service-connected hand arthritis did not warrant an evaluation in excess of 10 percent for the right and left hands, index fingers, middle fingers, thumb, ring, and little fingers from July 17, 1997 to November 9, 2007.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's hand arthritis did not meet the criteria for a higher evaluation based on the range of motion limitations observed during examination.
- Claimed conditions
- Arthritis of the left hand, Arthritis of the right hand, Arthritis of the right index finger, Arthritis of the left index finger, Arthritis of the right middle finger, Arthritis of the left middle finger, Arthritis of the right thumb, ring and little fingers, Arthritis of the left thumb, ring and little fingers
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 19, 2009
- Citation
- 0910332
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for diabetes mellitus, heart disease including myocarditis and pericarditis, hypertension, and pancreatitis as secondary to alcoholism due to the Veteran's service-connected PTSD. Service connection was also granted for left ear hearing loss and arthritis of the left hand on a direct basis.
- Partly granted
The Board denied an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for arthritis of the left middle finger and remanded claims for service connection for Type II diabetes mellitus, peripheral neuropathy, and a TDIU.
- Partly granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability was reopened, and a 20 percent rating was granted for the cervical spine condition effective July 18, 2021.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for arthritis of the right and left hands, finding that the current condition is at least as likely as not etiologically linked to the Veteran's operation of heavy machinery during active military service.
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