The Veteran's appeal for an earlier effective date and increased evaluation for left wrist arthritis was denied. The Board found that the earliest indication of a desire to file a claim for left wrist disability was in April 2005, which is when service connection was granted. The Veteran does not meet criteria for ankylosis or loss of use of the hand, so higher ratings are not warranted.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not show ankylosis of the left wrist prior to July 17, 2014, and there is no evidence of severe functional impairment such as loss of use of the left hand.
- Claimed conditions
- left wrist arthritis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 40%
- Decision date
- October 28, 2016
- Citation
- 1641810
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 1641810.
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.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea and dismissed all other appeals related to various joint conditions.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's left wrist arthritis and carpal tunnel syndrome, finding that these conditions are related to his service-connected right wrist disability.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the claims for service connection due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error. The Veteran will be provided with notice of his right to a hearing before the VA.
- Granted
The Veteran's claims for service connection have been granted, with effective dates of April 1, 2019.,Service-connected conditions include left and right wrist arthritis, hand conditions, back condition, lower extremity radiculopathy, OSA, and RLS.
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