The Board denied service connection for the Veteran's claimed disabilities of the knees, ankles, shoulders and hands as they are not shown to be related to his active duty service.
The deciding factor: Service treatment records were unremarkable for any complaints or diagnoses related to the joints. The first documented evidence of arthritis is from 2005, several years after separation from service.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral knee disability, bilateral ankle disability, bilateral shoulder disability, bilateral hand disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- October 25, 2012
- Citation
- 1237010
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 1237010.
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 the Veteran's claims for service connection for a bilateral shoulder disability and increased ratings for her bilateral knee disabilities, finding no evidence of in-service injury or disease related to these conditions.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for a neurological examination to determine if any diagnosed radiculopathy or other neurological disability affecting the lower extremities was caused or aggravated by service-connected conditions.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for a bilateral ankle disability as secondary to his service-connected bilateral knee and low back disabilities.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings are remanded due to procedural errors in the adjudication process. The claims will be reconsidered with additional evidence and a thorough review of all relevant medical records.
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