The Board denied the veteran's request to reopen his previously disallowed claim of entitlement to service connection for diffuse muscle and joint pain and numbness in the extremities, to include as due to an undiagnosed illness.
The deciding factor: New evidence submitted was not so significant that it must be considered in order to fairly decide the merits of the veteran's previously disallowed claim.
- Claimed conditions
- diffuse muscle and joint pain, numbness in the extremities
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 11, 2009
- Citation
- 0905016
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 952 · 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 0905016.
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.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus and diffuse muscle and joint pain, finding that the Veteran's symptoms are related to his military service. The claim for PTSD is reopened due to new evidence submitted since the last denial. Service connection for cold weather injury to the hands, fingers, legs, toes and feet is denied as there is no current diagnosis of such condition.
- Denied
The Board has determined that the Veteran's numbness in the extremities is not related to service and does not meet the criteria for service connection.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate development of the medical evidence, and the claim is pending further review.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case for a new VA examination to determine the nature, extent, onset, and etiology of any residuals of neck and back injuries, including headaches, dizziness, sleep problems, and numbness in the extremities. The examiner should consider all service treatment records, including those related to the Veteran's May 1980 reported injury.
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.