The Board denied service connection for rheumatoid arthritis due to herbicide exposure, and did not address the claim for earlier payment start date of nonservice-connected pension and special monthly pension.
The deciding factor: The Veteran was exposed to herbicides during his military service in Vietnam. However, there is no evidence linking his current RA to this exposure or any other event during service.
- Claimed conditions
- rheumatoid arthritis (RA)
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Gulf War
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- March 15, 2011
- Citation
- 1110364
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 1110364.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied service connection for rheumatoid arthritis and obstructive sleep apnea, finding that there was no evidence to support direct service connection or any other theory of entitlement.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board granted service connection for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) on a direct basis, finding that the Veteran's condition is related to his in-service exposure to burn pits and other environmental toxins during his Southwest Asia service.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied service connection for rheumatoid arthritis as there was no evidence of a current disability.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection due to outstanding records of private treatment and a lack of VA medical opinions.
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