The Board has determined that the Veteran's claimed conditions are not related to his service and have denied all of his claims for service connection.,Specifically, the Board found no evidence of rheumatoid arthritis or tendinopathy in service and concluded that these conditions did not start during service.
The deciding factor: The medical opinions provided by VA examiners indicated that there is no link between the Veteran's current diagnoses (rheumatoid arthritis, tendinopathy, degenerative joint disease) and his active service. The long lapse of time since separation from service makes it unlikely that any conditions are related to service.
- Claimed conditions
- rheumatoid arthritis of the upper back, rheumatoid arthritis of the low back, degenerative changes, to include narrowing of the intervertebral disc space, of the lumbar spine, rheumatoid arthritis of the arms, rheumatoid arthritis of the right leg, to include the right knee, rheumatoid arthritis of the right ankle, rheumatoid arthritis of the left ankle, rheumatoid arthritis of the right shoulder, rheumatoid arthritis of the left shoulder, tendinopathy of the right shoulder, tendinopathy of the left shoulder, mild degenerative joint disease of the right elbow, mild degenerative joint disease of the left elbow
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- December 13, 2011
- Citation
- 1145444
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 1145444.
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).
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