The Board denied service connection for degenerative joint disease of the hips, hands, and knees as well as panic disorder with agoraphobia due to a lack of evidence linking these conditions to the Veteran's military service.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner opined that the Veteran's degenerative joint disease is more likely due to natural aging process rather than his military service. Additionally, there was no medical opinion linking any arthritis of the hands/fingers or panic disorder with agoraphobia to the veteran's period of military service.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative joint disease of the hips, Degenerative joint disease of the hands, Degenerative joint disease of the knees, Panic disorder with agoraphobia
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 9, 2009
- Citation
- 0908715
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 remands the claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include PTSD, due to incomplete evidence and a need for additional VA examination.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the case to obtain a VA medical opinion regarding the cause of the Veteran's death, specifically addressing the role of his service-connected disabilities.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate VA examinations and a need for further development of evidence regarding the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for secondary service connection for low back, knee, and hypertension disorders.
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