The Board denied the claim for clear and unmistakable error in the January 31, 2017 rating decision and also denied entitlement to a total disability rating due to individual unemployability.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not support a finding that the January 31, 2017 AOJ's decision was clearly and unmistakably erroneous in assigning a 0 percent disability rating for right hand degenerative arthritis. The Board also found that the Veteran's service-connected disabilities were not sufficient to produce unemployability.
- Claimed conditions
- right hand degenerative arthritis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 14, 2025
- Citation
- A25088365
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,500 · Granted: 29% (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 A25088365.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for left hand degenerative arthritis and right hand degenerative arthritis, finding no evidence of a nexus between the current disabilities and active duty service.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for right hand degenerative arthritis and dismissed the claim of service connection for right hip injury.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's bilateral foot, hand, and hip conditions are remanded due to a duty to assist error. The AOJ is instructed to obtain new medical opinions regarding whether these conditions are aggravated by the Veteran's inability to take NSAIDs due to his service-connected kidney removal.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to a duty-to-assist error and needs additional medical opinions regarding the nature and etiology of any right-hand condition.
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