The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for generalized arthritis of multiple joints and for increased evaluations for his service-connected residuals of a gunshot wound (GSW) of the abdomen with incisional hernia and herniated nucleus pulposus with degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine. The veteran was granted an initial 60 percent evaluation for the latter condition effective January 27, 1999.
The deciding factor: The medical evidence did not establish a link between the veteran's current conditions and his service or any incident therein.
- Claimed conditions
- Generalized arthritis of multiple joints, Residuals of a gunshot wound (GSW) of the abdomen with incisional hernia, postoperative
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 60%
- Decision date
- April 26, 2004
- Citation
- 0410672
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,055 · Granted: 31% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 0410672.
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for generalized arthritis of multiple joints, sleep apnea, and a bilateral hearing loss disability due to inadequate etiology opinions. The claims are being returned for further development.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining VA medical records and Social Security Administration records. A VA examination is also required to determine if any current generalized arthritis of multiple joints is related to service.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the veteran's current diagnosed conditions, including arthritis of multiple joints, are related to his service-connected shrapnel wounds and thus grants service connection for these disabilities.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
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