The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral knee arthralgia, a right elbow disability, and arthritis of the left elbow were denied as new and material evidence was not received to reopen the claims, and there is no current diagnosis of any of these conditions.
The deciding factor: There has been no new evidence submitted that establishes a currently diagnosed condition related to the knees or elbows, which are necessary to support the service connection claim. Complaints of pain alone are insufficient for establishing a disability.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral knee arthralgia, right elbow disability, arthritis of the left elbow
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 6, 2009
- Citation
- 0908532
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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for gastrointestinal disability and denied earlier effective dates for the awards of service connection for allergic rhinitis, migraine headaches, PTSD, and tinnitus. The Board also denied increased ratings for allergic rhinitis and tinnitus and remanded claims for service connection for right elbow disability.
- Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for various musculoskeletal conditions of the left and right hands, shoulders, elbows, wrists, knees, ankles, and foot, but granted service connection for a right knee disability and fibromyalgia. The decision was based on medical evidence that did not support a link between these conditions and the Veteran's military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for a right elbow disability, left hand disability, and left shoulder disability to obtain additional medical opinions regarding the etiology of these conditions in relation to the Veteran's reported in-service injuries.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions and a TDIU, as the evidence did not support a finding that any of these disabilities were related to the Veteran's military service.
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