The Board found that the Veteran's current right hand disorders (degenerative joint disease and carpal tunnel syndrome) are not related to his service, including an in-service injury. The preponderance of evidence is against a finding of service connection.
The deciding factor: There was no chronic right hand disorder noted during service or within one year following separation from service, and the medical opinions were against a link between current disorders and service.
- Claimed conditions
- residuals of an injury or trauma of the right hand, degenerative joint disease (DJD) of the right hand, carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 1, 2017
- Citation
- 1714210
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 1714210.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Veteran's bilateral hand disability, including exertional paresthesias and carpal tunnel syndrome, is granted as service-connected. The decision also remands the issue of service connection for diabetes mellitus.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for service connection for sinusitis has been denied as there is no persuasive evidence of its occurrence during or shortly after his military service.,The Veteran's appeal seeking an initial compensable rating for headaches was dismissed due to the lack of timely filing and concurrent election issues. The issue will be remanded for further consideration.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for diverticulosis/IBS (formerly GERD) has been dismissed as it is no longer pending at the Board level after a grant by the Board in February 2025, effective from January 23, 2021.,The Veteran's appeal seeking an initial compensable rating for CTS was dismissed due to concurrent election issues. The issue will be remanded for further consideration.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for GERD has been granted by the Board in February 2025, effective from January 23, 2021. The appeal is dismissed as this represents a full grant of the benefit sought on appeal.,The Veteran's claims for bilateral pes planus/plantar fasciitis and CTS were remanded due to concurrent election issues. These issues will be addressed in a future rating decision.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for TBI was not on appeal as it was predecisional error not to address the current rating issue. The issue is remanded for further consideration.,The Veteran's appeal seeking an earlier effective date for the award of a 50 percent rating for migraine headaches will be considered in a future decision.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for diabetes mellitus and related conditions, including diabetic neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities, erectile dysfunction, hypertension, retinopathy, and carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), based on herbicide exposure during service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for a foot disability, to include gout; atrial fibrillation (A-fib); and carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) due to duty-to-assist errors.
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