The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for arthritis of both feet and hands, as well as his higher ratings for residuals of a fracture of the ring finger of the right hand and chronic dermatophytosis of the feet. The Board found that there was no evidence to support these claims.
The deciding factor: The VA examinations did not find any residual effects from cold exposure or frostbite, and the Veteran's current symptoms were attributed to other conditions such as diabetes and pes planus.
- Claimed conditions
- Arthritis of both feet, Arthritis of both hands
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- September 8, 2009
- Citation
- 0933630
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. Search VA.gov for the original decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 0933630.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board found that there is no x-ray evidence of arthritis in either hand and the preponderance of evidence is against a finding that the Veteran sustained frostbite of his hands during service. The Veteran's trigger fingers, locking of fingers, and hyperhidrosis of the hands were not shown to be related to his service.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's cold injury residuals, including onychomycosis of the toenails and skin abnormalities of both feet, as well as arthritis of both hands, are found to be due to in-service exposure to cold weather conditions. The Board grants service connection for these conditions.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims due to the need for additional development and examination.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board found that the Veteran's arthritis of both hands is not related to his service or any service-connected condition, and thus denied his claim for service connection.
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