The VA denied the veteran's claim to reopen his service connection for arthritis of the shoulders, knees and TMJ due to lack of new and material evidence.
The deciding factor: No new and significant evidence was submitted that could support reopening the previously denied claim.
- Claimed conditions
- Arthritis of shoulders, Arthritis of knees, Temporomandibular joint (TMJ)
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 25, 2002
- Citation
- 0217060
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 0217060.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for TMJ and bilateral hearing loss, finding that the Veteran's conditions are at least as likely as not related to his military service.
- Granted
The Board has granted the appellant's eligibility for attorney fees based on past-due benefits awarded in a May 2024 rating decision, as the October 2018 initial denial of service connection for TMJ is considered the first decision with respect to this case. The effective date for the award of service connection and the associated rating remains pending.
- Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and remanded the claims for TMJ, tinnitus, sleep apnea, lumbar spine disability, increased rating for right hip limitation of flexion, compensable rating for right hip impairment of the thigh, and compensable rating for right hip limitation of extension.
- Denied
The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of any claimed conditions and therefore service connection cannot be granted for gastrointestinal, PTSD, bilateral hearing loss, or TMJ.
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