The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hand conditions, finding that the Veteran's active-duty service contributed to his development of osteoarthritis in both hands.
The deciding factor: The examiner found that the Veteran's time in service as a cook contributed to the development of bilateral hand OA, and therefore concluded that service connection was warranted based on the 'at least as likely as not' standard.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hand conditions
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 12, 2022
- Citation
- 22014430
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 22014430.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to incomplete medical records and inadequate opinions regarding the nature and etiology of the Veteran's claimed bilateral hand and wrist conditions. The AOJ is required to obtain additional medical records, including those from Lawrence Joel Army Health Clinic, Elite Family Practice, Physiotherapy Associates, and Craniospinal Institute of Georgia. An independent medical expert (IME) opinion is also needed.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has found that the VA treatment of methadone and morphine caused multiple falls, resulting in additional orthopedic, neurological, cognitive, and vision disabilities. The claims are remanded for further development.
- Denied
The Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including major depressive disorder with anxiety features, bilateral shoulder, hand, and knee conditions, neck condition, back condition, sleep condition, and gastrointestinal condition are all denied. The Board found no current diagnoses or evidence of these conditions during the pendency of the claim.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.