The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for left elbow arthritis was denied. The Board found that the evidence did not meet the criteria for a compensable rating under any applicable diagnostic codes.
The deciding factor: The evidence showed normal range of motion and no significant limitation of motion, which precluded a higher rating.
- Claimed conditions
- Left Elbow Arthritis, Left Elbow Sprain
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 21, 2020
- Citation
- 20067969
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,990 · Granted: 35% (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 20067969.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
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 Veteran's claims for service connection are remanded due to insufficient medical evidence regarding the etiology of his claimed disabilities.
- Denied
The Veteran's claims for service connection for various types of arthritis in multiple joints have been denied. The Board found no current diagnoses or credible evidence linking the Veteran's symptoms to his military service.
- Denied
The claim for a higher rating for PTSD is denied.,The claim to reopen the service connection for left elbow arthritis is denied.,Service connection for esophageal cancer due to herbicide exposure has been granted.,A disability rating in excess of 10 percent for bilateral hearing loss prior to September 30, 2015 is denied.,A disability rating in excess of 30 percent for bilateral hearing loss from September 30, 2015 is denied.,The Veteran's claim for TDIU has been granted.,Service connection for the cause of death (esophageal cancer) due to herbicide exposure has been granted.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for his service-connected left elbow disability was granted, with a 10 percent rating effective from July 9, 2004 to February 1, 2012. The AMC later increased the rating to 10 percent effective February 2, 2012.
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