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Whole decision: Denied

The Veteran's claims for service connection for joint pain and sleep disturbance were denied as they are not related to his active duty or a service-connected disability. His claim for an increased rating for degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine was partially granted.

The deciding factor: The evidence did not show that the Veteran's current conditions had their clinical onset in service, or were otherwise related to service, including service in the Southwest Asia Theater of operations during the Persian Gulf War. The VA examinations and private medical records provided no new information regarding these claims.

Claimed conditions
Joint pain, Sleep disturbance
How they argued it
Direct service connection
Exposure basis
None
Rating
Not verified here — check the original decision
Decision date
December 27, 2013
Citation
1343148

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 1343148.

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.

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