The Board denied service connection for arthritis of the left and right hands, finding no evidence that these conditions began during or were related to service, including exposure to herbicide agents.
The deciding factor: There is no medical evidence linking the Veteran's current diagnoses of arthritis to his period of service, particularly not to herbicide agent exposure.
- Claimed conditions
- arthritis of left hand, arthritis of right hand
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Gulf War
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- June 4, 2018
- Citation
- 18108258
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 18108258.
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 Board remands the claims for service connection of various conditions due to a pre-decisional error in not obtaining medical opinions and VA treatment records.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claim for service connection for arthritis of his right hand as secondary to his crush of his right ring (4th) finger and service-connected little (5th) finger. The remand requires obtaining an addendum opinion from a clinician regarding whether the Veteran's arthritis is at least as likely as not aggravated by his service-connected little (5th) finger disability.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's service-connected amputation of the distal phalanx of the fifth digit and crush injury of the fourth digit of the left hand is found to be aggravated by his arthritis in the left hand, which is granted as secondary to this service-connected condition.
- Whole decision: Partly granted
The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and PTSD have been granted. The claim for arthritis of the right hand is being remanded.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.