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Whole decision: Denied

The Veteran seeks an effective date prior to March 30, 2012 for service connection of right shoulder rheumatoid arthritis, residual of Sjögren's syndrome, with strain, rotator cuff tendonitis and impingement syndrome.,The Veteran seeks an effective date prior to March 30, 2012 for service connection of left shoulder rheumatoid arthritis, residual of Sjögren's syndrome, with strain, rotator cuff tendonitis and impingement syndrome.,The Veteran seeks an effective date prior to March 30, 2012 for service connection of right knee rheumatoid arthritis, residual of Sjögren's syndrome, with strain and patellofemoral pain syndrome.,The Veteran seeks an effective date prior to March 30, 2012 for service connection of left knee rheumatoid arthritis, residual of Sjögren's syndrome, with strain and patellofemoral pain syndrome.,The Veteran seeks an effective date prior to March 30, 2012 for service connection of dry eye syndrome, residual of Sjögren's syndrome.

The deciding factor: The appeal was abandoned due to the Veteran not filing a timely appeal within one year from the November 29, 2016 statement of the case and the effective date of the award of service connection for bilateral shoulder rheumatoid arthritis, residual of Sjögren's syndrome, with strain, rotator cuff tendonitis and impingement; bilateral knee rheumatoid arthritis, residual of Sjögren's syndrome, with strain and patellofemoral pain syndrome; and, dry eye syndrome, residual of Sjögren's syndrome became final.

Claimed conditions
right shoulder rheumatoid arthritis, residual of Sjögren's syndrome, with strain, rotator cuff tendonitis and impingement syndrome, left shoulder rheumatoid arthritis, residual of Sjögren's syndrome, with strain, rotator cuff tendonitis and impingement syndrome, right knee rheumatoid arthritis, residual of Sjögren's syndrome, with strain and patellofemoral pain syndrome, left knee rheumatoid arthritis, residual of Sjögren's syndrome, with strain and patellofemoral pain syndrome, dry eye syndrome, residual of Sjögren's syndrome
How they argued it
Direct service connection
Exposure basis
None
Rating
Not verified here — check the original decision
Decision date
February 18, 2026
Citation
A26014692

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 A26014692.

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.

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