The Veteran's service connection claim for a bilateral hand disorder, claimed as arthritis and residuals of finger injuries, is granted. The criteria are met for service connection due to the presence of deformities of the distal interphalangeal joints (left little finger and right ring finger) and arthritis of the second and third metacarpophalangeal joints bilaterally and of the left fifth finger and right fourth finger, which were first reported within approximately three months after his separation from service.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's injuries to the fingers during service are corroborated by a fellow serviceman, and he reported injury at the time of his separation examination. The arthritis was shown within one year after his separation from service, meeting the criteria for presumptive service connection under 38 C.F.R. § 3.307.
- Claimed conditions
- Arthritis, Deformities of distal interphalangeal joints (left little finger and right ring finger), Osteoarthritis
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 10%
- Decision date
- April 15, 2011
- Citation
- 1114834
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 1114834.
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
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