The Veteran's claim for service connection for a disability manifested by pain in the hands is denied. The claim for TDIU is moot throughout the claims period as she is already receiving a total schedular rating. The claim for an earlier effective date for DEA benefits under Chapter 35 is also denied.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's hand disabilities were not incurred or aggravated by active service and are not related to any in-service injury. She is now in receipt of a total disability rating, making the TDIU claim moot. The criteria for eligibility to Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA/Chapter 35) benefits under Chapter 35 were not met prior to January 11, 2006.
- Claimed conditions
- Right index finger cyst, Bilateral hand strains
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- February 12, 2019
- Citation
- 19110311
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,104 · Granted: 28% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 19110311.
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: Granted
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- 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.
- Whole decision: Denied
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- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran's service-connected musculoligamentous strain, right knee, is currently rated at 10 percent and the Board finds that a higher rating is not warranted.
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