The Board has determined that the appellant's arthritis is not service-connected and his rheumatic fever does not warrant a compensable evaluation.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not establish service connection for arthritis or show that the current arthritis was caused by or aggravated by the service-connected rheumatic fever.
- Claimed conditions
- Arthritis of multiple joints, Rheumatic fever
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- August 27, 2002
- Citation
- 0210626
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 0210626.
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).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied service connection for arthritis of multiple joints, esophageal cancer, liver cancer, stomach cancer, and urethral cancer due to a lack of evidence linking these conditions to the Veteran's service or exposure at Camp Lejeune.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's service connection claims for left ear hearing loss, arthritis of multiple joints, right knee disorder, and left knee disorder have been granted. The remaining issues are denied.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board has denied service connection for heart-related residuals of rheumatic fever, including mitral valve regurgitation and left atrial enlargement, finding that the current disabilities are not related to in-service rheumatic fever.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to his failure to attend scheduled VA examinations. The Veteran is required to cooperate with VA by attending the rescheduled examinations or providing proper notice if he cannot.
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