The veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection were denied. The Board found no evidence of current right or left ankle disability, and the preponderance of the competent medical evidence was against a finding that his bilateral knee disorder and polyarthralgias with autoimmune inflammatory disease and probable early ankylosing spondylitis are causally related to active service.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner found no objective evidence of rheumatologic/inflammatory disease, and the veteran's complaints were attributed to normal examination of both ankles and chronic patellofemoral pain syndrome. The VA medical opinion also noted a positive HLA-B27, which indicated that he had ankylosing spondylitis but not due to service.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative Joint Disease of the Cervical Spine, Degenerative Joint Disease of the Lumbosacral Spine, Degenerative Joint Disease of Both Hips, Polyarthralgias with Lab Evidence of Autoimmune Inflammatory Disease, Probable Early Ankylosing Spondylitis, Greater Trochanteric Bursitis of the Left Hip
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 26, 2003
- Citation
- 0333143
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 0333143.
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.
- Denied
The Veteran's degenerative joint disease of the cervical spine was found to not meet the criteria for a higher disability rating, as it did not result in forward flexion of 15 degrees or less and there was no evidence of favorable ankylosis of the entire cervical spine.
- Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for chronic fatigue syndrome, gastroesophageal reflux disease, and chronic sinusitis. However, it granted an increased disability rating of 30 percent for left upper extremity radiculopathy.
- Partly granted
The Veteran's GERD was granted a 60 percent disability rating, and the June 15, 2020 VA Form 10182 for service connection claims was accepted as timely due to good cause shown.
- Granted
The Veteran's low back disability was restored to a 20 percent rating effective February 24, 2022. The other issues were denied.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.