The Board has determined that the Veteran's arthritis of the upper extremities is not related to his active service and denied this claim. The claim for reopening the disability of degenerative disc disease of the lumbar and cervical spines was also denied as no new and material evidence had been received.
The deciding factor: The preponderance of the competent medical evidence does not support a finding that the Veteran's current disabilities are related to his active service.
- Claimed conditions
- arthritis of the upper extremities, degenerative disc disease of the lumbar and cervical spines
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 18, 2012
- Citation
- 1217831
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 1217831.
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.
- Dismissed
The appeal for service connection for various disabilities was dismissed as the Veteran filed his appeal more than one year after the AOJ's final decision.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals of service connection for right knee disability, left knee disability, hypertension, gastrointestinal condition (hiatal hernia and acid reflux), arthritis of the upper extremities, and left ankle condition have been dismissed as moot due to the grant of these conditions in a prior rating decision. The appeal for an initial compensable disability rating for bilateral hearing loss has also been dismissed.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's lower extremities arthritis, left knee arthritis, right knee arthritis, and right ankle arthritis are granted. The upper extremity arthritis is denied.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development of the record, including obtaining legible copies of Fort Drum records and scheduling VA examinations. The claim will be reviewed to determine if service connection can be granted.
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