The Veteran's claims for service connection for osteoarthritis of the left wrist, right wrist, left elbow, and right elbow have been denied.,The Veteran's claims for service connection for degenerative arthritis of the left-hand thumb, right-hand thumb, left-hand pinky, right-hand pinky, left shoulder, and right shoulder have been granted.
The deciding factor: The evidence does not support a finding that the Veteran has current diagnoses of osteoarthritis of the wrists or elbows. The medical opinions provided by VA doctors indicate that the Veteran's claimed disabilities are more likely than not related to his active service.
- Claimed conditions
- Osteoarthritis of the left wrist, Osteoarthritis of the right wrist, Osteoarthritis of the left elbow, Osteoarthritis of the right elbow, Degenerative arthritis of the left-hand thumb, Degenerative arthritis of the right-hand thumb, Degenerative arthritis of the left-hand pinky, Degenerative arthritis of the right-hand pinky, Osteoarthritis of the left shoulder, Osteoarthritis of the right shoulder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 10%
- Decision date
- January 23, 2020
- Citation
- 20004525
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.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for degenerative disc disease of the spine, and osteoarthritis of the right shoulder and left shoulder based on evidence showing that these conditions had onset during active military service.
- Denied
The Board denied a higher rating for the right shoulder disability and service connection for bilateral hearing loss.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for osteoarthritis of the right and left shoulders, finding that these conditions are related to in-service injuries.
- Granted
The Board has granted an earlier effective date of November 9, 2009 for the grant of TDIU due to the Veteran's service-connected disabilities preventing him from obtaining and maintaining substantially gainful employment.
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