The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hand osteoarthritis is at least as likely as not incurred in service, and therefore grants the claim for service connection.
The deciding factor: The evidence shows a current diagnosis of osteoarthritis of the DIP joints of digits 2 through 5 bilaterally, consistent with natural aging. However, the Veteran's personal care provider provided credible testimony linking his osteoarthritis to his military service as a metal worker.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hand osteoarthritis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 4, 2019
- Citation
- 19101170
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- 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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for further development and to obtain additional evidence, including a complete service treatment record from the appellant's Reserve period.
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