The Board granted service connection for arthritis of the fingers and thumb, finding that these conditions manifested within one year following the Veteran's separation from service.
The deciding factor: The timing of diagnosis in conjunction with the Veteran's reported symptoms and his military occupation suggested a link to service, warranting presumptive service connection.
- Claimed conditions
- Arthritis of the left long finger, Arthritis of the left index finger, Arthritis of the left ring finger, Arthritis of the left little finger, Arthritis of the right thumb, Arthritis of the right index finger, Arthritis of the right long finger, Arthritis of the right ring finger, Arthritis of the right little finger
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 12, 2024
- Citation
- A24073410
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.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected hand arthritis did not warrant an evaluation in excess of 10 percent for the right and left hands, index fingers, middle fingers, thumb, ring, and little fingers from July 17, 1997 to November 9, 2007.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a medical opinion addressing whether the Veteran's left eye condition is related to service, as it found that the condition did not preexist service.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for prostate cancer, related to in-service exposures at Camp Lejeune.
- Granted
The Veteran is granted an effective date of August 10, 2022, for the grant of service connection for sinusitis based on the PACT Act.
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