The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral arthritis of the feet, hands, and low back disability (claimed as back arthritis) due to lack of evidence showing a link between these conditions and his military service.
The deciding factor: The most probative evidence does not show that it is at least as likely as not that the Veteran's diagnosed conditions onset during or within one year of service, or are otherwise etiologically related to active duty service.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral arthritis of the feet, bilateral arthritis of the hands, low back disability (claimed as back arthritis)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- March 29, 2019
- Citation
- 19123882
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,890 · Granted: 32% (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 19123882.
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 remands the claims for service connection for bilateral arthritis of the hands, fibromyalgia, and coronary artery disease due to pre-decisional duty to assist errors.
- Whole decision: Dismissed
The appeal of the proposed action to sever service connection for tinnitus was dismissed, and entitlement to service connection for bilateral arthritis of the hands was denied.
- Whole decision: Dismissed
The Board dismissed the appeals of the Veteran's claims for service connection due to his death.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral arthritis of the feet and hammertoes, finding that there was no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.