The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection were denied. The rating for RA of the right shoulder, left shoulder, right knee, right ankle, and left ankle are all denied. A separate 10% rating is granted for RA of the right hand. Service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder and TDIU prior to October 3, 2014 were also denied.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not meet the criteria for higher ratings under any applicable diagnostic codes.
- Claimed conditions
- rheumatoid arthritis (RA) of the right shoulder, rheumatoid arthritis (RA) of the left shoulder, rheumatoid arthritis (RA) of the right knee, rheumatoid arthritis (RA) of the right ankle, rheumatoid arthritis (RA) of the left ankle, osteoporosis of both feet
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 1, 2019
- Citation
- 19175519
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,162 · Granted: 21% (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 19175519.
What this means for you
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) of multiple joints are being remanded due to the need for additional development.,The Board has identified several issues that must be addressed, including those related to RA of the cervical spine, right and left shoulders, and wrists.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for higher ratings for various service-connected conditions have been remanded by the Board due to additional development needed.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected coronary artery disease, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the severity of his condition.
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