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Denied

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis for either elbow or low back, and therefore service connection is denied for these conditions. The right elbow arthritis was not manifest in service or within one year after separation, and is unrelated to service. The left elbow bursitis is also not related to service. Concerning the low back disability, there were no chronic symptoms found during service, and current intermittent back strain is not related to service.

The deciding factor: The preponderance of the evidence shows that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis for either elbow or low back, and therefore service connection is denied for these conditions. The right elbow arthritis was not manifest in service or within one year after separation, and is unrelated to service. The left elbow bursitis is also not related to service.

Claimed conditions
bilateral elbow disability, low back disability
How they argued it
Direct service connection
Exposure basis
None
Rating assigned
None in this decision
Decision date
August 6, 2013
Citation
1324996

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 1324996.

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