The Board has determined that the veteran's claims for direct service connection and secondary service connection for arthritis of the cervical spine, lumbar spine, hips, and shoulders are not well grounded. The claim for increased rating on an extraschedular basis for residuals of a gunshot wound to Muscle Group VII of the left forearm is denied as it does not meet the criteria for such a rating. The veteran's claim for separate compensable rating for scars from his gunshot wound to the left forearm is granted.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not establish that the veteran's current arthritis conditions were incurred or aggravated by service, and there was no medical opinion linking these conditions to his service-connected disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- Arthritis of the cervical spine, Arthritis of the lumbar spine, Arthritis of the hips, Arthritis of the shoulders
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 30%
- Decision date
- January 3, 2000
- Citation
- 0000020
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. Search VA.gov for the original decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 0000020.
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 has determined that the Veteran's arthritis of the lumbar spine was not shown as chronic in service and did not manifest to a compensable degree within the applicable presumptive period. Continuity of symptomatology is not established, and the disability is not otherwise etiologically related to an in-service injury or disease.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for arthritis of the lumbar spine was denied as her disability did not meet the criteria for a higher evaluation under VA's rating schedule.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for arthritis of the lumbar spine, right ankle, left ankle, and left foot on a presumptive basis due to continuous symptoms since service separation.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for service connection for right ear hearing loss was dismissed as untimely. The claim of a higher rating for his lumbar spine disability was denied, and the Veteran was granted a total disability rating based on individual unemployability.
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