The Veteran's initial compensable ratings for left and right medial epicondylitis prior to September 6, 2016 are denied. The Board finds that the evidence does not support a finding of ankylosis, painful motion, limited motion, joint fracture, flail joint, nonunion, malunion, or functional equivalent thereof in either elbow prior to September 6, 2016.
The deciding factor: The April 2010 VA examination report reflects the Veteran's subjective complaints of dull, mild, intermittent pain without objective findings. The evidence is not consistent with his current symptomatology as indicated by the September 6, 2016 VA examination report which shows full ranges of motion and no objective symptoms.
- Claimed conditions
- Left Medial Epicondylitis, Right Medial Epicondylitis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 16, 2019
- Citation
- 19103878
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,035 · Granted: 30% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 19103878.
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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew her appeal for earlier effective dates and higher initial ratings, leaving only the issues of service connection unresolved.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's right medial epicondylitis and cervical spine disabilities are being remanded for further examination to determine their current severity.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that there was not substantial compliance with previous remand directives regarding the rating for right medial epicondylitis and the rating for degenerative joint disease (DJD) of the cervical spine. As a result, these issues are being returned to the AOJ for further development.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for increased ratings for right and left medial epicondylitis due to inadequate examination reports.
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