The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for arthritis, finding no evidence of such condition in service or within one year of discharge and no medical evidence linking current conditions to active military service.
The deciding factor: The arthritis was not shown until more than 20 years after separation from service, and there is no competent evidence linking the Veteran's current joint conditions to her active military service.
- Claimed conditions
- arthritis (knees), degenerative joint disease of the lumbosacral spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 6, 2009
- Citation
- 0904416
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
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Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
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- Partly granted
The Board granted reopening of a previously denied headaches claim based on new and material evidence, but denied service connection for headaches, neck condition, and diabetes mellitus due to lack of evidence establishing nexus to military service. The Board remanded claims for lumbosacral spine disability rating, sleep apnea, depression/anxiety, and TDIU for further examination and development.
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