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Denied

The veteran's claim for service connection for post-operative residuals of bilateral degenerative joint disease of the 1st metatarsal interphalangeal joints is denied as there is no evidence of a chronic disability during or within one year after service.,Service connection for short-term memory loss, fatigue, forgetfulness, and sleep problems claimed to be due to an undiagnosed illness is also denied. The veteran's symptoms have been diagnosed as obstructive sleep apnea.

The deciding factor: There is no medical evidence of a chronic disability during or within one year after service for the post-operative residuals of bilateral degenerative joint disease of the 1st metatarsal interphalangeal joints.,The veteran's symptoms have been diagnosed as obstructive sleep apnea, which is not considered an undiagnosed illness under VA regulations.

Claimed conditions
post-operative residuals of bilateral degenerative joint disease of the 1st metatarsal interphalangeal joints, short-term memory loss, fatigue, forgetfulness, sleep problems
How they argued it
Not specified
Exposure basis
None
Rating assigned
None in this decision
Decision date
February 29, 2000
Citation
0005492

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 0005492.

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