The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for degenerative disease of multiple joints, finding that it was not incurred in or aggravated by his military service and is not proximately due to his service-connected hearing loss.
The deciding factor: The examiner concluded that the veteran's lack of education forced him into heavy labor jobs which contributed to his degenerative joint disease, rather than any exposure during service.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative disease of multiple joints
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- March 18, 2002
- Citation
- 0202495
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 0202495.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
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