The Veteran's left hand disorder, claimed as swelling and diagnosed as arthritis, has not been shown to be caused or aggravated by the service-connected burns to the left dorsum hand.,Residuals associated with the right middle finger disability cause limitation of motion, pain, and functional impairment but do not meet criteria for a higher rating.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's left hand disorder is not secondary to his service-connected burn condition.
- Claimed conditions
- left hand disorder (claimed as swelling), arthritis of the left hand
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- September 2, 2016
- Citation
- 1634730
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 1634730.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
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: Dismissed
The Board has dismissed the Veteran's appeals for service connection and increased rating claims due to a concurrent election under the Appeals Modernization Act (AMA). The issues were docketed in error as the AOJ was still reviewing them.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including arthritis of the entire skeletal system (other than cervical spine, right shoulder, bilateral hands, and left foot), a left knee condition (other than arthritis), and other specific joints. The claims were not granted.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for arthritis of the right and left hands to schedule a VA examination.
- Whole decision: Partly granted
The appeal for an earlier effective date for PTSD was dismissed. The claims for service connection for various conditions were remanded for further evaluation.
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