The Veteran's claims for service connection for rheumatoid arthritis and bronchial asthma were denied. The claim for an increased rating for rheumatic fever, inactive, with heart involvement of the aortic and mitral valves was also denied.
The deciding factor: There is no evidence to support current diagnoses of rheumatoid arthritis or bronchial asthma in service or within one year post-service. The Veteran's rheumatic fever does not meet the criteria for an increased rating as it is currently assigned a 10 percent disability rating.
- Claimed conditions
- Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), Bronchial Asthma
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 10%
- Decision date
- June 17, 2010
- Citation
- 1022519
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 1022519.
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 the Veteran's claim for a separate 50 percent disability rating for service-connected obstructive sleep apnea, as it is prohibited by law to assign separate ratings for coexisting respiratory disabilities.
- Denied
The appeal to revise, based on clear and unmistakable error (CUE), an October 2020 rating decision's assignment of a 50 percent disability rating for obstructive sleep apnea with bronchial asthma was denied.
- Denied
The Board denied an evaluation greater than 50 percent for sleep apnea and a separate rating for bronchial asthma, as the Veteran's symptoms did not meet or approximate the criteria for higher ratings.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for Rheumatoid Arthritis, finding that the evidence is at least in approximate balance as to whether the Veteran's current RA is etiologically related to his service.
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