The Veteran's service connection claims for chronic joint pain, bilateral ankle disabilities, elbow medial epicondylitis, shoulder degenerative arthritis, and wrist de Quervain's syndrome have all been denied. The Board found that the Veteran does not have a qualifying chronic disability manifested by joint pain due to military service in Southwest Asia as his poly-joint pain has been attributed to diagnosed disabilities.,The Veteran was unable to establish current diagnoses for bilateral ankle disabilities, elbow medial epicondylitis, and wrist de Quervain's syndrome. The Board found that the Veteran did not have a current disability of either ankle or wrists.
The deciding factor: Service connection is not warranted because the Veteran’s poly-joint pain has been attributed to specific diagnosed disabilities.,The evidence does not show current disabilities for bilateral ankle, elbow medial epicondylitis, and wrist de Quervain's syndrome. The Board found that the diagnoses are not related to service.
- Claimed conditions
- Chronic joint pain (claimed as an undiagnosed illness), Bilateral ankle disabilities, Bilateral elbow medial epicondylitis, Bilateral shoulder degenerative arthritis, Bilateral wrist de Quervain's syndrome
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 22, 2019
- Citation
- 19131301
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,451 · Granted: 22% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted 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. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 19131301.
What this means for you
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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 an acquired psychiatric disorder, bilateral ankle disabilities, and bilateral knee disabilities. The claims for GERD and COPD were remanded.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's TDIU claim is dismissed because he now has a combined 100% schedular rating for his service-connected conditions, including PTSD and bilateral shoulder arthritis.
- Dismissed
The appeal for service connection for a disability of the low back is dismissed.,The appeal for service connection for a disability of the bilateral ankles is dismissed.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder has been reopened, and the appeal is granted. The claims for service connection for other conditions are remanded.
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