The Board has 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 diagnoses are related to his service-connected fibromyalgia.
- Claimed conditions
- Arthritis of bilateral ankles, Arthritis of bilateral feet, Arthritis of bilateral knees, Arthritis of lumbar spine, Arthritis of thoracic spine
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- April 9, 2019
- Citation
- 19126880
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,435 · Granted: 22% (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 19126880.
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: Granted
The appeal to reconsider the claims of service connection for tendonitis of the right hip, bilateral ankles, right wrist, and thumbs is granted.,The appeal to reconsider the claim of service connection for headaches is granted.,The appeal to reconsider the claim of service connection for chest pain (claimed as chest pain and hypertension) is granted.,The appeal to reconsider the claim of service connection for frequent urination (claimed as an enlarged prostate) is granted.,The appeal to reconsider the claim of service connection for sleep apnea is granted.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided that the Veteran's claims for service connection for arthritis and lung and breathing problems due to PTSD should be remanded for further development, including obtaining medical opinions.
- Whole decision: Partly granted
The Veteran's appeal includes multiple issues, including service connection for various foot conditions and a request for an earlier effective date. The Board has not made a final determination on these claims.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran's claims for arthritis of the knees, hips, and elbows are denied as they are not considered to be due to service or a service-connected disability.
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