The Veteran's current diagnosis of osteoarthritis of the right hand is related to his service, and the Board finds reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran. Service connection for a right hand disability is granted.
The deciding factor: The Veteran reported symptoms of pain and stiffness in his right hand during service, which were diagnosed as arthralgia. His current diagnosis of osteoarthritis is related to these inservice complaints and is presumed to have developed due to the chronic wear and tear from his 20-year career.
- Claimed conditions
- Osteoarthritis of the right hand
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 27, 2016
- Citation
- 1630010
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 1630010.
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
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Board granted a 10 percent disability rating for osteoarthritis of the right hand and service connection for a left shoulder disability.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the issue of service connection for a bilateral upper extremity disability, which includes right carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), osteoarthritis of the right hand, and right index trigger finger. The Veteran asserts that these disabilities are secondary to his now service-connected dizziness.
- Denied
The Board has determined that the Veteran's osteoarthritis of the bilateral hands did not have onset in service, was not related to his service-connected gout, and is not otherwise related to service. Therefore, the claim for service connection for osteoarthritis of the bilateral hands is denied.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's TDIU claim is being remanded as the Board cannot make a decision on an extraschedular basis without further review by the Director of Compensation Service.
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