The Board denied service connection for a bilateral hand and elbow disability, finding that the Veteran does not have current diagnosed arthritis of the hands or elbows. The Board also found that any current disabilities (bilateral hand strain and bilateral elbow epicondylitis) are less likely related to active service.
The deciding factor: The VA examinations did not find objective evidence of arthritis in the hands or elbows, and the January 2020 VA examiner opined that the Veteran's current disabilities were less likely caused by active service.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hand strain, bilateral elbow epicondylitis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 15, 2020
- Citation
- 20079224
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. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 20079224.
What this means for you
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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 right and left wrist carpal tunnel syndrome, lumbosacral strain, cervical strain, bilateral knee strain and left knee osteoarthritis, bilateral hip trochanteric pain syndrome, bilateral elbow strain, bilateral foot degenerative arthritis, bilateral shoulder strain, and bilateral hand strain. OSA was denied.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal request was denied as it was not timely filed within one year of the rating decision.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) as secondary to his service-connected disabilities is granted. The Board found that the Veteran's obesity acted as an intermediate step between his service-connected disabilities and his OSA.
- Partly granted
The veteran's claim for service connection of bilateral elbow epicondylitis was granted and remanded. The Board found new evidence warranted a readjudication, but also remanded the case for further medical opinion.
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