The Board has determined that the veteran's claimed hand and back conditions are not related to his service-connected rheumatic fever, and thus denied these claims.
The deciding factor: Competent medical evidence does not establish an etiological relationship between the veteran's current diagnoses of rheumatoid arthritis of the hands and degenerative spondylolisthesis of L5 on S1 with minimal posterior degenerative disc disease and his service-connected rheumatic fever.
- Claimed conditions
- rheumatoid arthritis of the hands, degenerative spondylolisthesis of L5 on S1 with minimal posterior degenerative disc disease
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 19, 2006
- Citation
- 0632513
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,013 · Granted: 17% (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 0632513.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has found that there was not substantial compliance with the May 2018 remand directives and has ordered additional development to obtain VA treatment records from Allen Park VAMC, Detroit VAMC, Selfridge Air National Guard Base, and any TRICARE records. The Veteran's claim for service connection for rheumatoid arthritis of the knees, ankles, arms, hands, feet, and back is remanded.
- Denied
The Board has determined that the Veteran's currently diagnosed rheumatoid arthritis of the shoulders, knees, elbows, hands, feet, and neck was not incurred or aggravated during his period of active military service. The claim is therefore denied.
- Denied
The Board has determined that new and material evidence has not been received to reopen the claims for service connection for rheumatoid arthritis of the hands and bilateral pes planus. The Veteran's hidradenitis suppurativa, keloid on the right breast, hypopigmented keloid on the right lower extremity, atopic dermatitis, left knee chondromalacia patella, and right knee chondromalacia patella have all been evaluated as not meeting the criteria for higher ratings. The Veteran's major depressive disorder with anxiety disorder and PTSD symptoms has also not met the criteria for a rating in excess of 50 percent.
- Granted
The Veteran's heart condition is presumed to be due to herbicide exposure in Vietnam, and he has a current diagnosis of coronary artery disease. His other claims are 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.