The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral knee and hand disabilities are not related to his service, thus denying his claims for service connection.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner found no evidence of significant trauma or chronicity of disorders starting in service, and concluded that the current disabilities had abrupt onset after service with specific etiologies unrelated to service.
- Claimed conditions
- arthritis of the knees, arthritis of the hands
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 24, 2016
- Citation
- 1606996
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 1606996.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that new and relevant evidence has been presented to warrant readjudication of the claim for service connection for arthritis of the knees, elbows, and hands. The matter is being remanded for further consideration on a secondary basis due to the Veteran's assertions regarding his hips locking and falling into foxholes.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that there was a pre-decisional duty to assist error in not associating the Veteran's service treatment records with the claims file, and therefore the Board is unable to decide the issues currently on appeal. The Board also finds that remand for development of a longitudinal exposure record (ILER) and a TERA opinion is necessary.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's eligibility for the Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers (PCAFC) is being remanded due to a lack of adequate explanation in the VA opinion regarding whether the Veteran requires personal care services based on the criteria listed in 38 U.S.C. § 1720G(a)(2)(C) and 38 C.F.R. § 71.20(a)(3).
- Granted
The Veteran's service connection claims for vitiligo, bilateral hand degenerative arthritis, and bilateral distal radioulnar osteoarthritis have been granted.
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