The Board denied service connection for a bilateral hand joint disability, bilateral knee disability, and bilateral sensorineural hearing loss due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to service.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner found no chronic symptoms or injuries during service that could be linked to the current disabilities, and there was insufficient medical evidence to establish a nexus between any current condition and service.
- Claimed conditions
- left thumb carpometacarpal (CMC) joint strain/arthritis, left carpal tunnel syndrome, gout affecting knees, bilateral sensorineural hearing loss
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- March 9, 2023
- Citation
- 23014413
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 23014413.
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: Denied
The Veteran's initial claim for service-connected bilateral sensorineural hearing loss was denied, and the rating assigned prior to September 12, 2024, is noncompensable.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the cases due to a duty to assist error, requiring new VA examinations for the appellant's left carpal tunnel syndrome and left wrist osteoarthritis.
- Whole decision: Dismissed
The Board has dismissed the appeal as it found that the benefits originally sought have been granted in full, and thus there is no longer a specific error of fact or law to address.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for bilateral sensorineural hearing loss, tinnitus, thoracolumbar levoscoliosis with advanced multilevel DDD and facet arthropathy (low back disability), and cervical spine disability to include cervicalgia (neck disability) due to a lack of VA examination records and an incomplete review of service treatment records.
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