The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include PTSD, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder was denied. The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for rheumatoid arthritis of the wrists, hands, left ankle, right ankle, left knee, and right knee were all denied.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not support a finding that any of the claimed conditions began during service or are otherwise related to service.
- Claimed conditions
- Acquired psychiatric disorder, to include PTSD, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder, Rheumatoid arthritis of the left wrist, Rheumatoid arthritis of the right wrist, Rheumatoid arthritis of the left hand, Rheumatoid arthritis of the right hand, Rheumatoid arthritis of the left ankle, Rheumatoid arthritis of the right ankle, Traumatic arthritis of the left knee, Traumatic arthritis of the right knee
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 10%
- Decision date
- June 25, 2019
- Citation
- 19149529
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,316 · Granted: 43% (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 19149529.
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 Veteran was granted ratings for his left and right knee disabilities, as well as special monthly compensation and TDIU.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings and service connection were dismissed. The Board found that the Veteran withdrew his appeal of the issues related to traumatic arthritis of the right knee and post-operative ligament injury of the right knee at a hearing before the undersigned Veterans Law Judge. New and material evidence was received to reopen claims of bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and left knee disability.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate medical opinions and non-compliance with previous remand directives. The claim is being returned for further development.
- Granted
The Veteran's use of his VA-issued left knee brace for his service-connected traumatic arthritis of the left knee is causing wear and tear on his clothing, leading to frequent replacements. The Board has granted a clothing allowance for 2013 based on this issue.
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