The Board denied service connection for rheumatoid arthritis, Sjogren's syndrome, and disabilities affecting each finger as the evidence did not support a finding that these conditions began during active service or are otherwise related to an in-service injury or disease, including exposure to toxic exposure risk activities (TERAs).
The deciding factor: The medical opinions of record indicated no causal relationship between the TERAs and the Veteran's current conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- rheumatoid arthritis, Sjogren's syndrome, left thumb disability, left index finger disability, left middle finger disability, left ring finger disability, left little finger disability, right thumb disability, right index finger disability, right middle finger disability, right ring finger disability, right little finger disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 8, 2025
- Citation
- A25087177
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,861 · Granted: 27% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 A25087177.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's rheumatoid arthritis disability rating is being remanded for additional development due to significant weight loss and anemia.
- Partly granted
The Veteran's claims for service connection for sleep apnea and hepatic steatosis have been denied. The claim for rheumatoid arthritis is being remanded.,Service connection has not been established for the claimed conditions.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities prevented him from securing and following substantial gainful employment, leading to a grant of TDIU.
- Partly granted
Service connection for rheumatoid arthritis and Sjogren's syndrome is granted.,Service connection for hypertension is remanded due to insufficient evidence regarding its onset in service or as a result of a disease or injury in active service.
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