The Board has granted service connection for right wrist degenerative arthritis, left wrist degenerative arthritis, and hearing loss. The decision is remanded for further action on the claims of an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for left thumb degenerative arthritis, left long finger degenerative arthritis, left second (index) finger metacarpal joint arthritis, left ring finger degenerative arthritis, and left little finger degenerative arthritis.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's current hearing loss is related to his in-service exposure to loud noise from the weapon while serving as an LAV driver/gunner.
- Claimed conditions
- Right wrist degenerative arthritis, Left wrist degenerative arthritis, Hearing loss
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- Gulf War
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 4, 2026
- Citation
- A26010528
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 A26010528.
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 Veteran's hearing loss and low back strain claims are remanded for further evaluation. The hearing loss claim is denied, while the low back strain claim requires additional examination to determine its severity.
- Granted
The Veteran's entitlement to higher level of SMC at the intermediate rate is granted, effective from January 8, 2021. He was previously in need of aid and attendance due to his left knee disability since February 1, 2017, and now has additional disabilities rated at 50 percent or more.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for hearing loss, finding that the Veteran's current hearing loss disability is not related to military noise exposure and there is no evidence of a nexus between in-service noise exposure and his current condition.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the hearing loss claim due to incomplete records and the need for a VA examination. The Veteran's hearing loss may be related to service or secondary to his service-connected cerumen impaction.
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