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Whole decision: Denied

The Board denied service connection for a right shoulder condition, left hand condition, lower back condition, bilateral foot condition, and acquired psychiatric condition (anxiety disorder).,Service connection was not granted as the preexisting conditions did not worsen during service or were not related to service.

The deciding factor: The Veteran's preexisting right shoulder condition was noted at entry but no increase in severity was documented. The examiner found no evidence of aggravation.,There is no medical evidence linking the left hand condition to service, and the VA examination concluded that it was less likely than not related to service.,While degenerative arthritis was diagnosed post-service, there was no showing of a chronic disease during service or within one year of separation. The examiner found no relationship between the current lower back condition and service.,The Veteran's STRs were silent on any foot conditions, and his post-service treatment records did not indicate a diagnosis of a bilateral foot disability. No examination was provided as there was no showing of an injury or disease during service or within one year of separation.,Both VA examiners found that the Veteran’s anxiety disorder is related to PTSD rather than being a separate condition related to service.

Claimed conditions
Right Shoulder Condition, Left Hand Condition, Lower Back Condition, Bilateral Foot Condition, Acquired Psychiatric Condition (Anxiety Disorder)
How they argued it
Direct service connection
Exposure basis
None
Rating
Not verified here — check the original decision
Decision date
February 19, 2019
Citation
19112530

Veterans Law Judge

K. J. ALIBRANDO

Decisions by this judge: 1,071 · Granted: 26% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed 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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 19112530.

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.

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