The Board dismissed the Veteran's appeal for service connection of radiculopathy of the upper extremities. The Board granted service connection for gout of the feet, finding that the evidence was at least evenly balanced in favor of the Veteran.
The deciding factor: The Board found that there was no clear diagnosis of gout but considered the Veteran's competent and credible statements regarding symptoms in service and after separation.
- Claimed conditions
- radiculopathy of the upper extremities, gout of the feet
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 20, 2019
- Citation
- 19138780
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,604 · Granted: 65% (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 19138780.
What this means for you
A dismissal means the Board did not decide the issue on its merits — usually because it was withdrawn or had become moot. It says more about procedure than about whether a claim like this can win.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the AOJ's decision denying eligibility for the Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers (PCAFC) is not supported by adequate reasoning and must be remanded to allow for a thorough review, including obtaining medical opinions on whether it is in the best interest of the Veteran to participate in the PCAFC program.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected lumbosacral degenerative disc disease with intervertebral disc syndrome and radiculopathies aided in his death from traumatic asphyxia caused by a fence falling on him. Service connection for the cause of death is granted.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided that the Veteran's gout of his feet is related to a period of active-duty service and remands for further examination.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for all the claimed conditions as there was no evidence of a current disability or that any of the disabilities were related to active duty.
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