Veterans’ RightsAn independent resource for veterans
← All decisions
Whole decision: Denied

The Veteran's claims for acid reflux, cervical spine disorder, upper extremity cervical radiculopathy, shoulder disorder, knee disorder, and obstructive sleep apnea have been denied as new and material evidence has not been presented to reopen these previously denied claims.,Service connection for costochondritis was also denied due to lack of a nexus between the condition and active service.

The deciding factor: The medical evidence does not support a finding that any of the conditions were incurred or aggravated by active service, including through exposure to burn pits, Agent Orange, Camp Lejeune, radiation, Gulf War Syndrome, or other presumptive exposures. The Veteran's claims for acid reflux, cervical spine disorder, upper extremity cervical radiculopathy, shoulder disorder, knee disorder, and obstructive sleep apnea have not been reopened due to lack of new and material evidence.

Claimed conditions
acid reflux, cervical spine disorder, bilateral upper extremity cervical radiculopathy, bilateral shoulder disorder, bilateral knee disorder, obstructive sleep apnea, costochondritis, chronic shortness of breath disorder, disorder of all four extremities, bilateral elbow disorder, bilateral hip disorder, bilateral ankle disorder
How they argued it
Direct service connection
Exposure basis
None
Rating
Not verified here — check the original decision
Decision date
November 29, 2019
Citation
19190079

Veterans Law Judge

R.R. Watkins

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 19190079.

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.

Free starter guide for your own claim

Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.

We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.

We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.

This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.