The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for right wrist and hand traumatic arthritis, to include as secondary to diabetes, and left wrist degenerative arthritis, to include as secondary to diabetes. The claim for a separate compensable rating for diabetic nephropathy was also denied.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not support a finding that the Veteran's wrist or hand conditions were incurred in service or due to his service-connected diabetes.
- Claimed conditions
- left wrist degenerative arthritis, right wrist and hand traumatic arthritis
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- March 26, 2019
- Citation
- 19122311
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 3,038 · Granted: 30% (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 19122311.
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 has remanded the case due to a failure to obtain a direct service connection opinion, and the Veteran's claim for left wrist fracture residuals is being reviewed again.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board has denied service connection for the claimed conditions, finding that they are not related to active duty service or any period of ACDUTRA/INACDUTRA service. The appellant's claims are based on secondary service connection due to a non-service-connected condition (Lyme disease), but the evidence does not support this claim.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection of various conditions, including right shoulder strain, left shoulder strain, left hip osteoarthritis, left wrist degenerative arthritis, right wrist degenerative arthritis, left elbow degenerative arthritis, and lumbar spine degenerative arthritis.
- Whole decision: Partly granted
The Board denied increased ratings for the Veteran's left wrist degenerative arthritis, migraines, bilateral hearing loss, eye disability, and sciatica of the right lower extremity. However, it granted a 40 percent rating for back disability, service connection for erectile dysfunction secondary to the back disability, and special monthly compensation based on loss of use of a creative organ.
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