The veteran's claims for service connection for osteoarthritis of the feet, hands, right elbow, ankles, and left great toe were denied. The RO also addressed other issues such as increased evaluations for shoulder conditions, a claim to reopen for knee condition (claimed as osteoarthritis), an effective date for right shoulder condition, and TDIU.
The deciding factor: The veteran's service records did not show any diagnosis of osteoarthritis in the claimed joints. The RO found no new evidence material to reopen the knee claim and denied all other claims based on lack of a service connection basis.
- Claimed conditions
- Osteoarthritis of the ankles, Osteoarthritis of the feet, Osteoarthritis of the hands, Osteoarthritis of the left great toe, Osteoarthritis of the right elbow
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 13, 2005
- Citation
- 0500990
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 673 · Granted: 27% (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 0500990.
What this means for you
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis of the back and feet, as well as a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU), due to insufficient evidence linking these conditions to the Veteran's active military service.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities render him unable to secure and maintain substantially gainful employment, warranting a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) on an extraschedular basis.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that another remand is necessary to ensure proper evaluations and opinions for the Veteran's claimed osteoarthritis conditions, as well as his right foot bunion with spurring.
- Denied
The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral upper extremity disability, including osteoarthritis of the hands, wrists, and shoulders, right lateral epicondylitis (right elbow tendonitis), and right elbow tendonitis, is not related to service. The claim for service connection is therefore denied.
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