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Denied

The Board denied service connection for a right elbow disability as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected left knee disability due to lack of medical evidence linking the current right elbow condition to his service-connected left knee.

The deciding factor: The VA examiner found no medical nexus between the Veteran's current right elbow disability and his service-connected left knee disability, concluding that the right elbow condition is age-related arthropathy rather than a result of the left knee instability reported in 2003.

Claimed conditions
Right Elbow Disability, Left Knee Disability
How they argued it
Secondary to another service-connected condition
Exposure basis
None
Rating assigned
None in this decision
Decision date
December 23, 2011
Citation
1146990

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 1146990.

What this means for you

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