The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hand rheumatoid arthritis did not have its onset within one year of service and is not otherwise related to service. The evidence does not support a finding of direct service connection.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner found no nexus between the Veteran's current bilateral hand condition and her in-service symptoms, as there was no contemporaneous documentation of such symptoms or diagnosis.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hand rheumatoid arthritis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- November 7, 2017
- Citation
- 1750702
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 1750702.
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: Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's psoriasis and rheumatoid arthritis are remanded for further development, including obtaining medical nexus opinions regarding the relationship to service and toxic exposure.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's bilateral hand rheumatoid and degenerative arthritis disability has worsened, leading to a remand for further examination.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the cases for additional development due to insufficient efforts by the AOJ in obtaining the Veteran's service records. Service connection is granted for tinnitus, but the issues related to psoriasis and rheumatoid arthritis remain pending as they were not discussed or addressed in the July 2013 VA examination.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
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