The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for right hand and left hand disabilities, including arthritis and carpal tunnel syndrome. The evidence did not show a current disability related to an in-service injury or disease.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner found no indication of a bilateral hand fracture during service and noted that post-service medical records do not provide a diagnosis until many years after separation from service.
- Claimed conditions
- right hand arthritis, right hand carpal tunnel syndrome, left hand arthritis, left hand carpal tunnel syndrome
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 22, 2020
- Citation
- 20005051
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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including prostate cancer and related disabilities, urinary incontinence, sleep apnea, hypertension, varicose veins, lumbar spine disability, hip arthritis, shoulder arthritis, ankle arthritis, knee strain, knee replacement, and hand arthritis. The only condition granted was a 10 percent rating for a fracture of the right proximal first metacarpal.
- Denied
The Board denied an evaluation greater than 20 percent for right hand carpal tunnel syndrome, as the evidence did not show severe incomplete paralysis of the median nerve.
- Dismissed
The appeal for an increased evaluation for right hand carpal tunnel syndrome is dismissed due to administrative error and the need to proceed in the legacy appeal system.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for left and right hand arthritis to obtain a new VA medical opinion addressing the Veteran's disability under a presumption of soundness.
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