The Board denied service connection for arthritis of both ankles, bilateral elbow disability, and left hand disability as secondary to residuals of left knee injury with instability.
The deciding factor: There is no evidence linking the Veteran's current disabilities to his active service or any service-connected conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- Arthritis of both ankles, Bilateral elbow disability, Left hand disability, Right hand disability, Arthritis of both hips, Arthritis of both shoulders, Arthritis of both wrists, Gouty arthritis of the left knee
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 5, 2019
- Citation
- A19003315
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 A19003315.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for diabetes mellitus, a bilateral foot disability (other than bilateral plantar fasciitis), to include gout, right hand and left hand disabilities, as well as a thyroid disorder, all secondary to the Veteran's service-connected obstructive sleep apnea. The Board also granted a TDIU from September 25, 2020.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various disabilities, including an acquired psychiatric disability, alcohol abuse, a liver disability, and hand and eye disabilities, as the evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were related to service or secondary to any service-connected condition.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew all pending appeals, including those for increased ratings and service connection.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings, as well as entitlement to a TDIU prior to September 17, 2014.
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