The Board has determined that new and material evidence sufficient to reopen the Veteran's service connection claim for an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include PTSD, has been received. However, the claims for bilateral shoulder and elbow disabilities have not met the criteria for service connection.
The deciding factor: VA medical examinations and opinions did not find a link between the Veteran's diagnosed shoulder and elbow disabilities and his service-connected left carpal tunnel syndrome or any other condition attributable to service.
- Claimed conditions
- Acquired Psychiatric Disorder (to include PTSD), Left Shoulder Disability, Right Shoulder Disability, Left Elbow Disability, Right Elbow Disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 5, 2010
- Citation
- 1012626
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 1012626.
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a 70% rating for PTSD from November 25, 2015 to August 12, 2024 and a 40% rating for the right shoulder disability. It also granted 10% ratings for both feet and 20% ratings for knee patellofemoral pain syndromes.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various disabilities and denied higher ratings for several service-connected conditions.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for multiple conditions, including PTSD, IBS, cardiac arrhythmia, CFS, chronic headaches, chronic sinusitis, dyspnea, and fibromyalgia. The claim for bilateral pes planus was remanded.
- Remanded (sent back)
The character of the appellant's uncharacterized discharge is not a bar to the receipt of Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) benefits; to this extent only, the claim is granted.
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