The Veteran's arthritis of the left hand was not found to be service-connected, but his fractures were granted a compensable rating. The arthritis claim is denied as it is secondary to the service-connected fractures.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner found no evidence of arthritis in the X-rays and concluded that the Veteran will likely develop arthritis later, but did not have any at this time.
- Claimed conditions
- Arthritis of the left hand, Fracture of the left third metacarpal, Fracture of the left fourth metacarpal
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- September 3, 2015
- Citation
- 1537850
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 1537850.
What this means for you
A partial grant means some issues were granted while others were denied or remanded — common in multi-issue claims. Look at which issues went which way, and how each was argued.
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: 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.
- Whole decision: 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.
- Whole decision: 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.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has granted service connection for right upper extremity carpal tunnel syndrome, left upper extremity carpal tunnel syndrome, arthritis of the right hand, and arthritis of the left hand.,Service connection is established for these conditions based on a finding that they are etiologically linked to the Veteran's military service.
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