The veteran's claim for service connection for arthritis of the ankles, knees, and back as secondary to his service-connected traumatic arthritis of the left and right great toes, post-operative cheilotomy was denied.
The deciding factor: There is no evidence of current arthritis of the feet (other than of the great toes) or any other joints that would support a grant of service connection for these conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- arthritis of the feet, arthritis of the ankles, arthritis of the knees, arthritis of the back
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- July 14, 2004
- Citation
- 0418703
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,977 · Granted: 27% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed 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. Search VA.gov for the original decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 0418703.
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: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that new and relevant evidence has been presented to warrant readjudication of the claim for service connection for arthritis of the knees, elbows, and hands. The matter is being remanded for further consideration on a secondary basis due to the Veteran's assertions regarding his hips locking and falling into foxholes.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to errors in obtaining service records and a need for a VA examination to determine if any current foot disorders are related to service.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim of service connection for a back disability is remanded due to the need for an orthopedic examination to determine the nature and likely etiology of his claimed condition. The examiner must identify each diagnosed back disability entity, its likely etiology, and whether it is at least as likely as not related to service.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's arthritis of the back is granted service connection based on continuity of symptomatology.,Service connection for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is granted due to its presumptive relationship as a qualifying chronic disability under Persian Gulf War criteria.,Service connection for a skin disability, manifested by rashes of the hands and feet, is granted based on continuity of symptoms since service.,Service connection for a gynecological disability, residuals of hysterectomy, is granted based on continuity of symptoms since service.
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