The veteran's polyarthralgia is not service-connected as it is not proximately due to or the result of her service-connected sarcoidosis. The Board denied her claims for TDIU and pension based on the lack of evidence showing she was unemployable or permanently disabled.
The deciding factor: The VA examinations did not find an underlying condition other than sarcoidosis that caused polyarthralgia, and the veteran failed to report for necessary medical evaluations.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative disc disease at C5-C6, Hepatic dysfunction (history of hepatitis C), Left jaw disorder, Polyarthralgia, Sarcoidosis
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 30%
- Decision date
- January 27, 2005
- Citation
- 0502012
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,642 · Granted: 19% (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 0502012.
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.
- Dismissed
The appeal as to the proposed severance of service connection for sarcoidosis is dismissed. The Veteran's OSA and BHL are denied, but a compensable rating is granted for BHL.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), obstructive sleep apnea, and sarcoidosis due to potential service connection issues.
- Granted
The Veteran's PTSD is related to service and the claim for service connection has been granted. The claims of entitlement to service connection for hypertension, CAD, GERD, kidney disease, sarcoidosis, and OSA are remanded due to duty-to-assist errors.
- Granted
The Board has granted an effective date of January 4, 2024 for the grant of service connection for asthma and Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA). The appeal regarding earlier effective dates for OSA with sarcoidosis is dismissed as a legal nullity.
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.