The Veteran's claims for arthritis of the knees, hips, and elbows are denied as they are not considered to be due to service or a service-connected disability.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner found that the Veteran's joint disabilities were less likely caused by his service-connected duodenal ulcer and did not find any other evidence linking the conditions to service or service-connected disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- Arthritis of bilateral knees, Arthritis of bilateral hips, Arthritis of left elbow, Low back degenerative disc disease (DDD)
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- July 19, 2017
- Citation
- 1728262
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 1728262.
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: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for additional medical opinions and examinations to determine the current severity of the Veteran's service-connected low back, left hip strain, left knee, and left lower extremity radiculopathy disabilities. The VA will provide new VA examinations to assess the extent of range of motion loss due to flare-ups and repetitive use.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the claims for additional information and medical opinions regarding the Veteran's back, left lower extremity radiculopathy, left knee, and left hip disabilities. The VA will obtain more detailed retrospective medical opinions on the severity of these conditions during a specific period.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's service connection claims for DJD of the right elbow, arthritis of bilateral hips, low back disorder, HTN, and ED are being remanded due to new evidence received. The claim for a TDIU is also remanded.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for arthritis of the lower back, bilateral hips, and bilateral shoulders due to insufficient evidence on record. The Veteran contends that his current conditions are related to his active service in Vietnam.
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