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.
The deciding factor: The March 2009 VA examiner opined that the arthritis of the Veteran's hands is less likely than not related to any event or injury in service including the right wrist injury, noting no documented finger injuries or arthritic changes in service.
- Claimed conditions
- Arthritis of both hands
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 4, 2013
- Citation
- 1300378
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 1300378.
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 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.
- 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.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for service connection for arthritis of both hands was denied as there is no x-ray evidence of arthritis and the preponderance of evidence against a finding that his HIV caused or aggravated these conditions.,The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for HIV disability was denied as he did not show refractory constitutional symptoms or progressive weight loss.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's arthritis of both hands is attributable to injuries during active service and grants the claims for service connection.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.