The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for arthritis of both his right and left hands, finding that there was no evidence linking the conditions to service or presumed exposure to herbicide agents.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner found that the Veteran’s late-onset arthritis of the hands was not incurred in or caused by service due to a lack of evidence supporting causation within the first post-service year and age-related development of the condition.
- Claimed conditions
- arthritis of the right hand, arthritis of the left hand
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- April 19, 2021
- Citation
- 21022736
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 21022736.
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: Dismissed
The Board has dismissed the Veteran's appeals for service connection and increased rating claims due to a concurrent election under the Appeals Modernization Act (AMA). The issues were docketed in error as the AOJ was still reviewing them.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for higher initial ratings for a left middle finger disability with arthritis and arthritis of the right hand due to an inadequate VA examination.
- Whole decision: Dismissed
The veteran withdrew all pending appeals, and the Board has no jurisdiction to review these issues.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including arthritis of the entire skeletal system (other than cervical spine, right shoulder, bilateral hands, and left foot), a left knee condition (other than arthritis), and other specific joints. The claims were not granted.
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