The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hand osteoarthritis was not incurred in service, did not manifest to a compensable degree within one year of service separation and is not proximately due to or aggravated by his service-connected bilateral hand burns. Therefore, the claim for service connection for bilateral hand osteoarthritis has been denied.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hand osteoarthritis was not caused or aggravated by his service-connected bilateral hand burns and did not manifest within one year of service separation.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hand osteoarthritis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 7, 2018
- Citation
- 1807889
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 1807889.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claim of service connection for heart disability, to include hypertension and pacemaker implant, as secondary to now service-connected bilateral hand and bilateral foot osteoarthritis due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for steatohepatitis and gastrointestinal impairment, to include chronic diarrhea and GERD. The claims for a chronic cough, right upper extremity neuropathy, left upper extremity neuropathy, facial scar, back disability, left hip disability, bilateral hand osteoarthritis, hemorrhoids, erectile dysfunction, and hypertension were denied.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for bilateral hand osteoarthritis and remanded the claim for a lung condition (lung spot) for further development.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for multiple musculoskeletal disabilities, including cervical spine degenerative disc disease and bilateral joint osteoarthritis, based on in-service exposure to PCBs.
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