The Board denied service connection for arthritis of the bilateral ankles, feet, knees, lumbar spine, and thoracic spine as secondary to service-connected fibromyalgia.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's arthritis was not shown to have had its onset during service or within one year of separation from service, and his service-connected fibromyalgia did not cause or aggravate the arthritis in any of these joints.
- Claimed conditions
- {"condition_name":"Arthritis of bilateral ankles","status":"Secondary to service-connected fibromyalgia"}, {"condition_name":"Arthritis of bilateral feet","status":"Secondary to service-connected fibromyalgia"}, {"condition_name":"Arthritis of bilateral knees","status":"Secondary to service-connected fibromyalgia"}, {"condition_name":"Arthritis of lumbar spine","status":"Secondary to service-connected fibromyalgia"}, {"condition_name":"Arthritis of thoracic spine","status":"Secondary to service-connected fibromyalgia"}
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 9, 2019
- Citation
- 19126880
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.
- 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.
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.