The Veteran's claim for service connection for arthritis and rheumatoid arthritis of all major joints, including the thoracolumbar spine, feet, hips, and shoulders was denied as there is no evidence that these conditions were incurred or aggravated by his military service.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner concluded that the Veteran's degenerative arthritis and claw foot deformity are distinct pathologic entities and not related to each other. The Board found the Veteran's statements regarding a nexus between his service-connected left claw foot deformity and his current joint disabilities without merit.
- Claimed conditions
- arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 25, 2015
- Citation
- 1512780
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 1512780.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus, arthritis, and memory loss. The decision found no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's rheumatoid arthritis disability rating is being remanded for additional development due to significant weight loss and anemia.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death and entitlement to DIC due to a failure to obtain a medical opinion prior to the rating decision on appeal regarding whether the Veteran's arthritis was related to his period of active service, and if so, whether it contributed to his death.
- Partly granted
The Veteran's claims for service connection for sleep apnea and hepatic steatosis have been denied. The claim for rheumatoid arthritis is being remanded.,Service connection has not been established for the claimed conditions.
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