The Board has dismissed the Veteran's appeals for service connection of left hand, right hand, left shoulder, right shoulder, and right elbow conditions as secondary to his service-connected cervical strain with degenerative joint disease and degenerative disc disease.
The deciding factor: The Veteran did not provide sufficient evidence to establish a direct link between his current conditions and military service.
- Claimed conditions
- {"condition_name":"Left Hand Condition","secondary_to":"Cervical Strain with Degenerative Joint Disease and Degenerative Disc Disease"}, {"condition_name":"Right Hand Condition","secondary_to":"Cervical Strain with Degenerative Joint Disease and Degenerative Disc Disease"}, {"condition_name":"Left Shoulder Condition","secondary_to":"Cervical Strain with Degenerative Joint Disease and Degenerative Disc Disease"}, {"condition_name":"Right Shoulder Condition","secondary_to":"Cervical Strain with Degenerative Joint Disease and Degenerative Disc Disease"}, {"condition_name":"Left Elbow Condition","secondary_to":"Cervical Strain with Degenerative Joint Disease and Degenerative Disc Disease"}, {"condition_name":"Right Elbow Condition","secondary_to":"Cervical Strain with Degenerative Joint Disease and Degenerative Disc Disease"}, {"condition_name":"Left Ankle Condition","secondary_to":null}
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 29, 2019
- Citation
- 19106754
What this means for you
A dismissal means the Board did not decide the issue on its merits — usually because it was withdrawn or had become moot. It says more about procedure than about whether a claim like this can win.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for right lower extremity sciatica associated with the Veteran's service-connected lumbosacral spine strain, but remanded claims for service connection for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and sleep apnea.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that his lung cancer was related to his service-connected melanoma.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for anxiety but denied it for sleep apnea, finding that the Veteran's sleep apnea was less likely than not related to his active service or service-connected acquired psychiatric condition.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for migraine headaches as proximately due to the Veteran's service-connected tinnitus.
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This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.